What was the birth name of Mumtaz Mahal, the empress for whom the Taj Mahal was built?

Mumtaz Mahal was born Arjumand Banu Begum.

She was born in Agra in 1593 into a prominent Persian family serving the Mughal court. Her father, Abu'l-Hasan Asaf Khan, became an important noble and minister, and her aunt was Nur Jahan, the influential empress of Emperor Jahangir. These family connections placed Arjumand close to the center of Mughal political life.

She was betrothed to Prince Khurram, the future Shah Jahan, in 1607 and married him in 1612. After the wedding, Khurram gave her the title Mumtaz Mahal, generally translated as “Chosen One of the Palace” or “Exalted One of the Palace.” The title, rather than her birth name, is the name by which history remembers her.

Mumtaz became Shah Jahan’s chief consort and accompanied him during military campaigns and court travels. She died in Burhanpur in 1631 while giving birth to their fourteenth child. Shah Jahan later commissioned the Taj Mahal as her mausoleum. “Mumtaz” and “Mahal” are titles, not her original personal name, while Jahanara Begum was her daughter, not an alternative name for her.