Were Mughals Persians, Arabs, or Turks?

 The Mughal Dynasty, which itself was just a continuation of the Timurid Dynasty via the line of Babur (Baburids), cannot really be associated with just any one ethnic group.

Let me explain. We are talking about a dynasty that underwent multiple ethnic transformations over a period of centuries. A royal house that, during this time period, ruled over regions from the steppes of Central Asia to the north; to Mesopotamia to the west; Bengal to the east; and Deccan to the south. A dynasty of Mongol origin, that transformed into Turko-Mongols, and then Persianate Turks, before creating a cosmopolitan culture within the Indian Subcontinent (mixed Turk, Persian, North Indian), and eventually assimilating into the North Indian culture. There were multiple ethnic transformations involved in this evolution over a time period of about half a millennia (13th – 19th century). How can we possibly place the likes of Qarachar Barlas, Timur, Babur, Akbar, Aurangzeb, and Bahadur Shah Zafar under a single ethnic group?

If we were to try to classify the Mughal Dynasty (later Timurids) on the basis of ethnicity, which is quite difficult, then referring to the dynasty as mixed would be the best way to go about it. However, it makes little sense to refer to the Mughals as Arabs, given that it had little to do with Arabs. The alternative is to solve the issue by saying that the Timurids or Mughals were a dynasty of Turko-Mongol (Chagatai) origin.

The Mughal Emperors Babur and Humayun can be considered as Chagatai Turks. However, it is difficult to refer to Akbar and those who followed as Chagatai Turks. The best way to refer to them would be as mixed.