The Mughal Empire had emperors.
Abu ` l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad ( 15 October 1542 -- 27 October 1605 ) , popularly known as Akbar I ( [ əkbər ] , literally `` the great '' ) and later Akbar the Great , was the third Mughal emperor , who reigned from 1556 to 1605 . Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad ( 6 March 1508 -- 27 January 1556 ) better known by his regnal name , Humayun , was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire , who ruled over territory in what is now Afghanistan , Pakistan , and parts of northern India from 1531 -- 1540 and again from 1555 -- 1556 . Lahore Fort . Additions from the Shah Jahan period are characterized by luxurious marble with inlaid Persian floral designs , while the fort 's grand and iconic Alamgiri Gate was constructed by the last of the great Mughal Emperors , Aurangzeb , and faces the renowned Badshahi Mosque . Mughal Empire . He erected several large monuments , the best known of which is the Taj Mahal at Agra , as well as the Moti Masjid , Agra , the Red Fort , the Jama Masjid , Delhi , and the Lahore Fort . During the following century Mughal power had become severely limited , and the last emperor , Bahadur Shah II , had authority over only the city of Shahjahanabad .