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Glite Dictionary
Shah Jahan

Shah Jahan

1 7.0
An Indian emperor known for building the Taj Mahal
  • proper noun
: Shah Jahan
  • Historians often highlight Shah Jahan's contributions to India's cultural heritage.

Examples

  • The reign of Shah Jahan is considered a golden age of Mughal architecture.

  • Shah Jahan ruled India during the golden age of the Mughal Empire.

  • Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.

  • The magnificent Taj Mahal was commissioned by Shah Jahan.

  • For eleven years, Shah Jahan ruled his kingdom from the city.

  • Being a wise man, Shah Jahan himself was quick to realize his altered state, and calmly he went about understanding its cause and getting to the root of the problem.

  • I am Ehsaan Ali, keeper of the fort, direct descendant of Emperor Shah Jahan.

Surface Forms

Shah Jahan main

Morphology

Shah + Jahan

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; knowing the literal meanings of the parts (even if 'shah' means king and 'jahan' means world in Persian) does not allow a B1 learner to infer the referent 'the Mughal emperor who commissioned the Taj Mahal' or the historical facts. Proper names and specific historical referents are language- and culture-specific and therefore not compositionally predictable from their constituents.

Etymology

Shah Jahan is a Persian name: Shah means 'king' and Jahan means 'world', so the name can be read as 'king of the world'. He was the Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his wife, and that's why his name still brings to mind grand buildings and a famous story of love.