The Mughal Empire was ruled by a dynasty.
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 . The Mughal Empire or Mogul Empire , self-designated as Gurkani ( گورکانیان , Gūrkāniyān , meaning `` son-in-law '' ) , was an empire in the Indian subcontinent , established and ruled by a Muslim Turkic dynasty of Chagatai origin from Central Asia . The Mughal emperors were Central Asian Turco-Mongols belonging to the Timurid dynasty , who claimed direct descent from both Genghis Khan ( founder of the Mongol Empire , through his son Chagatai Khan ) and Timur ( Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire ) .