Mughal (tribe)

Mughal

A photo from The People of India, published from 1868 to the early 1870s by W. H. Allen Ltd, for the India Office.
Regions with significant populations
South Asia
Languages
• Sindhi • Urdu • Punjabi • Bengali •
Religion
• Islam 100% •
Related ethnic groups
• Turkic peoples • Mongol peoples

The Mughals (Persian: مغول‎‎; Urdu: مغل‎; Arabic: مغول‎‎, also spelled Moghul or Mogul) are a number of culturally related clans of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In theory, the Mughals are descended from the various Central Asian Turko-Mongol armies that settled in the region. The term Mughal (or Mughul in Persian) literally means Mongolian.

In North India, the term Mughal refers to one of the four social groups that are referred to as the Ashraaf.

In Uttar Pradesh (UP), their main clans are the Chagatai, Barlas, Douli, Qazilbash, Turkmen, Turk, Uzbek, Tajik, Kai and Chak. The Mughals of Uttar Pradesh belong to both the Sunni and Shia sects, with the majority belonging to the Sunni Hanafi sect. Sunni Mughals are usually orthodox in their religious outlook. The Shia Mughals of Awadh trace their entry into the region to the year 1750. The Mughals of UP are an endogamous community, marrying within their own community, or in communities of a similar status such as the Pathan and Muslim Rajput. The rural Mughals are farmers, and many own orchards, especially mango orchards, while in towns they are engaged in trade, handicrafts, and carpet weaving. Carpet weaving is an activity particularly associated with the UP Mughals.