Zahir ud-din Muhammad Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who; following a series of setbacks; finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father; and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother.

Babur identified his lineage as Timurid and Chaghatay-Turkic; while his origin; milieu; training; and culture were steeped in Persian culture and so he was largely responsible for the fostering of this culture by his descendants; and for the expansion of Persian cultural influence in the Indian subcontinent; with brilliant literary; artistic; and historiographical results.