Nur Jahan

Nur Jahan

Begum Nur Jahan (Persian, Urdu: نور جہاں‎) (alternative spelling Noor Jahan, Nur Jehan, Nor Jahan, etc.) (31 May 1577–17 December 1645), also known as Mehr-un-Nisaa, was Empress of the Mughal Empire that covered much of the Indian subcontinent. She was an aunt of Empress Mumtaz Mahal, Emperor Shah Jahan's wife for whom the Taj Mahal was made.

Begum Nur Jahan was the twentieth and favourite wife of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, who was her second husband. The story of the couple's infatuation for each other and the relationship that abided between them is the stuff of many (often apocryphal) legends. She remains historically significant for the sheer amount of imperial authority she wielded - the true "power behind the throne," as Jehangir was battling serious addictions to alcohol and opium throughout her reign - and is known as one of the most powerful women who ruled India with an iron fist.