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88-657: Unlike Dear America , which consisted of diaries of young girls living during pivotal periods in American history, The Royal Diaries is a series that features women of royalty from all over the world. The series is fictional, though it involves real historical figures. Facts and images concerning the historical figure featured in the book are given at the end of each of the books. The Royal Diaries has covered many famous women in royalty, including Jahanara , Marie Antoinette , Eleanor of Aquitaine , Queen Elizabeth I , Mary, Queen of Scots , Isabella I of Castile , Cleopatra VII ,

176-566: A Sufi master and her transitioning to the Qadiri order in Lahore. This transition was a complicated decision to make: “It occurred to me that I was a disciple of the Chishti order, but now that I was entering the Qadiri order, would there be conflict in me?” Jahanara Begum stated that she and her brother Dārā were the only descendants of Timur to embrace Sufism. (However, Aurangzeb was spiritually trained as

264-493: A defeat at Dharmat (1658) at the hands of Aurangzeb, Jahanara wrote a letter to Aurangzeb and advised him not to disobey his father and fight with his brother. She was unsuccessful. Dara was badly defeated in the Battle of Samugarh (29 May 1658), and fled towards Delhi. Shah Jahan did everything he could to stop the planned invasion of Agra. He asked Jahanara to use her diplomacy to convince Murad and Shuja not to throw their weight on

352-443: A follower of Sufism as well.) As a patron of Sufi literature, she commissioned translations and commentaries of many works of classic Sufi literature. Shah Jahan fell seriously ill in 1657. A war of succession broke out among his four sons, Dara Shikoh, Shah Shuja , Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh. During the war of succession, Jahanara supported her brother Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Shah Jahan. When Dara Shikoh's generals sustained

440-471: A glorification of Selim I. After a period of several centuries, Ottoman Turkish (which was highly Persianised itself) had developed towards a fully accepted language of literature, which was even able to satisfy the demands of a scientific presentation. However, the number of Persian and Arabic loanwords contained in those works increased at times up to 88%. The Ottomans produced thousands of Persian literary works throughout their century long lifespan. With

528-616: A literary language again of the Central Asian and West Asian lands. The rebirth of the language in its new form is often accredited to Ferdowsi , Unsuri , Daqiqi , Rudaki , and their generation, as they used pre-Islamic nationalism as a conduit to revive the language and customs of ancient Iran. So strong is the Persian inclination to versifying everyday expressions that one can encounter poetry in almost every classical work, whether from Persian literature, science, or metaphysics . In short,

616-525: A loaf of bread as fare, A joint of lamb, a jug of vintage rare, And you and I in wilderness encamped— No Sultan 's pleasure could with ours compare. The Persian poet and mystic Rumi (1207–1273) (known as Molana in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, and as Mevlana in Turkey), has attracted a large following in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Popularizing translations by Coleman Barks have presented Rumi as

704-530: A madrasa, which was attached to the Jama Masjid, for the promotion of education. She also funded the making of a garden in Kashmir, she was a benefactor of the people. She also made a significant impact on the landscape of the capital city of Shahjahanabad. Of the eighteen buildings in the city of Shahjahanabad commissioned by women, Jahanara commissioned five. All of Jahanara's building projects were completed around

792-598: A number of different lands. The nucleus of the collection is formed by a Pahlavi Sassanid Persian book called Hazār Afsānah ( Persian : هزار افسان , Thousand Myths ), a collection of ancient Indian and Persian folk tales. During the reign of the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid in the 8th century, Baghdad had become an important cosmopolitan city. Merchants from Persia , China , India , Africa, and Europe were all found in Baghdad. During this time, many of

880-547: A number of ships and maintained trade relations with the English and the Dutch. Jahanara was known for her active participation in looking after the poor and financing the building of mosques. When her ship, the Sahibi was to set sail for its first journey (on 29 October 1643), she ordered that the ship make its voyage to Mecca and Medina and, "... that every year, fifty koni (One Koni

968-562: A reliable chronological source by many experts), as well as Ata-Malik Juvayni 's famous Tarikh-i Jahangushay-i Juvaini (which spans the Mongolid and Ilkhanid era of Iran ). Attar 's Tazkerat-ol-Owliya ("Biographies of the Saints") is also a detailed account of Sufi mystics, which is referenced by many subsequent authors and considered a significant work in mystical hagiography . The oldest surviving work of Persian literary criticism after

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1056-559: Is Siyasatnama , by Nizam al-Mulk , a famous Persian vizier . Kelileh va Demneh , translated from Indian folk tales, can also be mentioned in this category. It is seen as a collection of adages in Persian literary studies and thus does not convey folkloric notions. Among the major historical and biographical works in classical Persian, one can mention Abolfazl Beyhaghi 's famous Tarikh-i Beyhaqi , Lubab ul-Albab of Zahiriddin Nasr Muhammad Aufi (which has been regarded as

1144-634: Is esteemed more as a scientist than a poet in his native Persia, but in Fitzgerald's rendering, he became one of the most quoted poets in English. Khayyam's line, "A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou", is known to many who could not say who wrote it, or where: گر دست دهد ز مغز گندم نانی وز می دو منی ز گوسفندی رانی وانگه من و تو نشسته در ویرانی عیشی بود آن نه حد هر سلطانی gar(agar) dast dahad ze maghz-e gandom nāni va'z(va az) mey do mani ze gūsfandi rāni vāngah man-o tō neshaste dar vīrāni 'eyshi bovad ān na had-de har soltāni Ah, would there were

1232-500: Is highly regarded for its judgment and literary quality. In it, she regarded him as having initiated her spiritually four centuries after his death, described her pilgrimage to Ajmer , and spoke of herself as a faqīrah to signify her vocation as a Sufi woman. An aspect of her Sufi work also included an autobiographical narrative, detailing her thoughts and experiences, titled Sahibiya (The Lady’s Treatise) , and contained information pertaining to her spiritual experience, her search for

1320-593: Is nine to twelve. In 2000, HBO created three TV films based on three of the Royal Diaries books: Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor (England, 1544) , Isabel: Jewel of Castilla (Spain, 1466) , and Cleopatra: Daughter of the Nile (Egypt, 57 BC) . The title characters were portrayed by Tamara Hope , Lisa Jakub and Elisa Moolecherry , respectively. Reruns of these adaptations also aired on Qubo . In November 2021, it

1408-547: Is renowned both as a poet and as the founder of a widespread Sufi order. Hafez , too, is hugely admired in both East and West, and he was inspired by Sufism if he was not actually a Sufi himself. The themes and styles of this kind of devotional poetry have been widely imitated by many Sufi and non-Sufi poets. See also the article on Sufi poetry . Many notable texts in Persian mystic literature are not poems, yet highly read and regarded. Among those are Kimiya-yi sa'ādat , Asrar al-Tawhid and Kashf ul Mahjoob . Beginning in

1496-597: Is the largest comprehensive Persian dictionary ever published, comprising 16 volumes (more than 27,000 pages). It is published by the Tehran University Press (UTP) under the supervision of the Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute and was first published in 1931. It traces the historical development of the Persian language, providing a comprehensive resource to scholars and academic researchers, as well as describing usage in its many variations throughout

1584-546: The Agra Fort with the royal prisoner and gossip magnifying a rumor. Several contemporary travelers have mentioned such accusations. Francois Bernier , a French physician, mentions rumors of an incestuous relationship being propagated in the Mughal Court. However, Bernier did not mention witnessing such a relationship. Niccolao Manucci , a Venetian traveler, dismisses such accusations by Bernier as gossip and "The talk of

1672-521: The Badshah , Jahanara interceded on her brother's behalf and convinced Shah Jahan to pardon him and restore his rank. Shah Jahan's fondness for his daughter was reflected in the multiple titles that he bestowed upon her, which included: Sahibat al-Zamani (Lady of the Age), Padishah Begum (Lady Emperor) , and Begum Sahib (Princess of Princesses). Her power was such that, unlike the other imperial princesses, she

1760-662: The Caucasus , and Turkey , regions of Central Asia (such as Tajikistan ), South Asia and the Balkans where the Persian language has historically been either the native or official language. For example, Rumi , one of the best-loved Persian poets, born in Balkh (in modern-day Afghanistan) or Wakhsh (in modern-day Tajikistan), wrote in Persian and lived in Konya (in modern-day Turkey), at that time

1848-798: The Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna , Catherine the Great , Empress Elisabeth , and Queen Victoria . The series has also covered less known women, such as Queen Seondeok of Silla , Anacaona of the Taínos , Weetamoo of the Pocassets, the Lady of Ch'iao Kuo of the Hsien, the Lady of Palenque of the Mayans , and Nzingha of Ndongo . It also covers the life and customs of these women. The target age for these books

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1936-508: The Seljuks , the Sultanate of Rum , took Persian language, art and letters to Anatolia. They adopted Persian language as the official language of the empire. The Ottomans , which can "roughly" be seen as their eventual successors, took this tradition over. Persian was the official court language of the empire, and for some time, the official language of the empire. The educated and noble class of

2024-494: The Sho'ubiyye as asserting that the pre-Islamic Iranians had books on eloquence, such as 'Karvand'. No trace remains of such books. There are some indications that some among the Persian elite were familiar with Greek rhetoric and literary criticism ( Zarrinkoub , 1947). While initially overshadowed by Arabic during the Umayyad and early Abbasid caliphates, New Persian soon became

2112-547: The Tahirids and Samanids being based in Khorasan. Persian poets such as Ferdowsi , Saadi , Hafiz , Attar , Nezami , Rumi and Omar Khayyam are also known in the West and have influenced the literature of many countries. Very few literary works of Achaemenid Iran have survived, partly due to the destruction of the library at Persepolis . Most of what remains consists of

2200-577: The Timurid era and produced the likes of Amir Khosrow Dehlavi , and Bhai Nand Lal Goya . The most significant prose writings of this era are Nizami Arudhi Samarqandi 's "Chahār Maqāleh" as well as Zahiriddin Nasr Muhammad Aufi 's anecdote compendium Jawami ul-Hikayat . Shams al-Mo'ali Abol-hasan Ghaboos ibn Wushmgir 's famous work, the Qabus nama ( A Mirror for Princes ), is a highly esteemed Belles-lettres work of Persian literature. Also highly regarded

2288-494: The epic style of poetry, with Ferdowsi 's Shahnama at the apex. By glorifying the Iranian historical past in heroic and elevated verses, he and other notables such as Daqiqi and Asadi Tusi presented the " Ajam " with a source of pride and inspiration that has helped preserve a sense of identity for the Iranian people over the ages. Ferdowsi set a model to be followed by a host of other poets later on. The 13th century marks

2376-454: The Šāh-nāma are quite popular, and the stories of Rostam and Sohrāb , or Bījan and Maniža became part of Georgian folklore. Farmanfarmaian in the Journal of Persianate Studies : Distinguished scholars of Persian such as Gvakharia and Todua are well aware that the inspiration derived from the Persian classics of the ninth to the twelfth centuries produced a ‘cultural synthesis’ which saw, in

2464-477: The Šāh-nāma that is no longer extant. ... The Šāh-nāma was translated, not only to satisfy the literary and aesthetic needs of readers and listeners, but also to inspire the young with the spirit of heroism and Georgian patriotism. Georgian ideology, customs, and worldview often informed these translations because they were oriented toward Georgian poetic culture. Conversely, Georgians consider these translations works of their native literature. Georgian versions of

2552-585: The 14th century, while it simultaneously grew in the Indian subcontinent and Ottoman Turkey, regions that were increasingly becoming Persianized. Only 4 dictionaries of Persian were compiled in Iran between the 10th and 19th centuries, while more than 66 were produced in India. Significant dictionaries from India include the Farhang-e Ghavvas, Sharafnama-ye Ebrahimi , Farhang-i Jahangiri , and Burhan-i Qati . Unlike

2640-512: The 1950s. Currently, English-Persian dictionaries of Manouchehr Aryanpour and Soleiman Haim are widely used in Iran. Also highly regarded in the contemporary Persian literature lexical corpus are the works of Dr. Mohammad Moin . The first volume of Moin Dictionary was published in 1963. Some of Persia's best-beloved medieval poets were Sufis , and their poetry was, and is, widely read by Sufis from Morocco to Indonesia . Rumi, in particular,

2728-453: The 20th century, for example, largely based their works on the detailed lexicography produced in India, using compilations such as Ghazi khan Badr Muhammad Dehlavi 's Adat al-Fudhala ( اداة الفضلا ), Ibrahim Ghavamuddin Farughi 's Farhang-i Ibrahimi ( فرهنگ ابراهیمی ), and particularly Muhammad Padshah's Farhang-i Anandraj ( فرهنگ آنندراج ). Persian learning was also widespread in

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2816-793: The Abbasid and Samanid courts into every major Iranian dynasty . The Qasida was perhaps the most famous form of panegyric used, though quatrains such as those in Omar Khayyam 's Ruba'iyyat are also widely popular. Khorasani style , whose followers mostly were associated with Greater Khorasan , is characterized by its supercilious diction, dignified tone, and relatively literate language. The chief representatives of this lyricism are Asjadi , Farrukhi Sistani , Unsuri , and Manuchehri . Panegyric masters such as Rudaki were known for their love of nature, their verses abounding with evocative descriptions. Through these courts and system of patronage emerged

2904-630: The Balkans insofar as that it was a town where Persian was also widely spoken. However, the Persian of Vardar Yenicesi and throughout the rest of the Ottoman-held Balkans was different from formal Persian both in accent and vocabulary. The difference was apparent to such a degree that the Ottomans referred to it as "Rumelian Persian" ( Rumili Farsisi ). As learned people such as students, scholars and literati often frequented Vardar Yenicesi, it soon became

2992-467: The Deccan, and the rest of the empire would go to Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb refused Jahanara's proposition on the grounds that Dara Shikoh was an infidel. On Aurangzeb's ascent to the throne, Jahanara joined her father in imprisonment at the Agra Fort , where she devoted herself to his care until his death in 1666. Her rival and younger sister, Roshanara, replaced her as Padshah Begum and Begum Sahib, and took over

3080-458: The Emperor in order to prove her point, especially when it concerned his enforced austerity measures or his practice of religious intolerance. Jahanara re-entered politics and was influential in various important matters and had certain special privileges which other women did not possess: an independent life with a private palace of her own, the power to issue Hukm or Farman (an imperial order that

3168-597: The First Lady. Jahanara died during Aurangzeb's reign. She is known for her written works as well, which continues to be a primary way in which her presence in Sufism survives into today. She is well known for a biography of Sheikh Mu’in ad’-Din Chishti, ‘Munis al arwah’ whom she believed to have been the highest of the Sufi saints in India and her spiritual master, despite having lived four centuries before her. Jahanara's early education

3256-536: The Islamic conquest of Persia is Muqaddame-ye Shahname-ye Abu Mansuri , which was written during the Samanid period . The work deals with the myths and legends of Shahnameh and is considered the oldest surviving example of Persian prose. It also shows an attempt by the authors to evaluate literary works critically. One Thousand and One Nights ( Persian : هزار و یک شب ) is a medieval folk tale collection which tells

3344-580: The Low People". Jahanara had her tomb built during her lifetime. It is constructed entirely of white marble with a screen of trellis work, open to the sky. Upon her death, Aurangzeb gave her the posthumous title, Sahibat-uz-Zamani (Mistress of the Age). Jahanara is buried in a tomb in the Nizamuddin Dargah complex in New Delhi , which is considered "remarkable for its simplicity". The inscription on

3432-565: The Ottoman Empire all spoke Persian, such as sultan Selim I , despite being Safavid Iran's archrival and a staunch opposer of Shia Islam . It was a major literary language in the empire. Some of the noted earlier Persian literature works during the Ottoman rule are Idris Bidlisi 's Hasht Bihisht , which begun in 1502 and covered the reign of the first eight Ottoman rulers, and the Salim-Namah ,

3520-521: The Ottoman-held Balkans ( Rumelia ), with a range of cities being famed for their long-standing traditions in the study of Persian and its classics, amongst them Saraybosna (modern Sarajevo , Bosnia and Herzegovina), Mostar (also in Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Vardar Yenicesi (or Yenice-i Vardar, now Giannitsa , in the northern part of Greece). Vardar Yenicesi differed from other localities in

3608-550: The Persian dictionaries of India, most dictionaries from Ottoman Turkey are bilingual (Persian-Turkish). Some significant dictionaries of the era are Oqnum-e Ajam , Loghat-e Ne'matallah , and Lesan al-Ajam. In 1645, Christian Ravius completed a Persian- Latin dictionary, printed at Leiden. This was followed by John Richardson 's two-volume Oxford edition (1777) and Gladwin-Malda's (1770) Persian-English Dictionaries, Scharif and S. Peters' Persian-Russian Dictionary (1869), and 30 other Persian lexicographical translations through

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3696-524: The Qadiriyya, but the rules of the order did not allow this. She wrote a biography of Moinuddin Chishti , the founder of the Chishti Order in India, titled Mu'nis al-Arwāḥ ( Arabic : مونس الارواح , lit.   'confidante of souls'), as well as a biography of Mullah Shah, titled Risālah-i Ṣāḥibīyah , in which she also described her initiation by him. Her biography of Moinuddin Chishti

3784-465: The ability to write in verse form was a pre-requisite for any scholar. For example, almost half of Avicenna 's medical writings are in verse. Works of the early era of Persian poetry are characterized by strong court patronage , an extravagance of panegyrics , and what is known as سبک فاخر "exalted in style". The tradition of royal patronage began perhaps under the Sassanid era and carried over through

3872-643: The ascendancy of lyric poetry with the consequent development of the ghazal into a major verse form, as well as the rise of mystical and Sufi poetry . This style is often called Araqi (Iraqi) style (Araq-e-Ajam) and is known by its emotional lyric qualities, rich meters, and the relative simplicity of its language. Emotional romantic poetry was not something new, however, as works such as Vis o Ramin by As'ad Gorgani , and Yusof o Zoleikha by Am'aq Bokharai exemplify. Poets such as Sana'i and Attar (who ostensibly inspired Rumi ), Khaqani Shirvani , Anvari , and Nizami , were highly respected ghazal writers. However,

3960-653: The capital of the Seljuks in Anatolia . The Ghaznavids conquered large territories in Central and South Asia and adopted Persian as their court language. There is thus Persian literature from Iran, Mesopotamia , Azerbaijan , the wider Caucasus, Turkey, Pakistan , Bangladesh , India , Tajikistan and other parts of Central Asia, as well as the Balkans. Not all Persian literature is written in Persian , as some consider works written by ethnic Persians or Iranians in other languages, such as Greek and Arabic , to be included. At

4048-476: The charge of the Imperial Seal. Having the right to issue farmans and nishans , she was given the greatest and highest rank in the harem. She also attended councils and discussed important aspects of state and governance from behind her curtained seat. The state nobles and kings or foreign ambassadors, whether commercial or political, sought her intervention before the emperor. Her word became so powerful that it

4136-516: The chest. During her illness, Shah Jahan was so concerned about the welfare of his favourite daughter, that he made only brief appearances at his daily durbar in the Diwan-i-Am . Royal physicians failed to heal Jahanara's burns. A Persian doctor came to treat her, and her condition improved for a number of months, but then, there was no further improvement until a royal page named Arif Chela mixed an ointment that, after two more months, finally caused

4224-717: The control of the Khāndān-e-Shahi (royal family) and the Zenana (harem) was entrusted to her. Jahanara replaced Roshanara as the First Lady. As the first lady of his court, her annual allowance was raised from Rs 1 million rupees (during the reign of Shah Jahan) to Rs 1.7 million. In addition, Aurangzeb again gave her the revenue of the port of Surat and a grand mansion in Delhi, where Aurangzeb would spend hours conversing with her. Aurangzeb respected her and sought her counsel in matters of state and public welfare. She never shied from arguing with

4312-418: The control of the imperial family and palace thanks to the assistance she had rendered to Aurangzeb during the war of succession. After the death of their father, Jahanara and Aurangzeb reconciled. He restored her former titles to her; Padshah Begum (Lady Emperor or Grand Empress) , and Begum Sahib (Princess of Princesses) , and bestowed upon her a new title, Shahzadi Sahib ( Empress of Princesses ). Again,

4400-569: The earliest stages of written secular literature in Georgia, the resumption of literary contacts with Iran, “much stronger than before” (Gvakharia, 2001, p. 481). Ferdowsi’s Shahnama was a never-ending source of inspiration, not only for high literature, but for folklore as well. “Almost every page of Georgian literary works and chronicles [...] contains names of Iranian heroes borrowed from the Shahnama ” (ibid). Ferdowsi, together with Nezāmi , may have left

4488-693: The early 16th century, Persian traditions had a large impact on the Georgian ruling elites, which in turn resulted in Persian influence on Georgian art, architecture, and literature. This cultural influence lasted until the arrival of the Russians. Jamshid Sh. Giunashvili remarks on the connection of Georgian culture with that of the Persian literary work Shahnameh : The names of many Šāh-nāma heroes, such as Rostom-i , Thehmine, Sam-i , or Zaal-i , are found in 11th- and 12th-century Georgian literature . They are indirect evidence for an Old Georgian translation of

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4576-477: The elite of this school are Rumi, Saadi , and Hafiz Shirazi . Regarding the tradition of Persian love poetry during the Safavid era, Persian historian Ehsan Yarshater notes, "As a rule, the beloved is not a woman, but a young man. In the early centuries of Islam, the raids into Central Asia produced many young slaves . Slaves were also bought or received as gifts. They were made to serve as pages at court or in

4664-515: The emergence of the Ghaznavids and their successors such as the Ghurids , Timurids and Mughal Empire , Persian culture and its literature gradually moved into South Asia too. In general, from its earliest days, Persian literature and language was imported into the subcontinent by culturally Persianised Turkic and Afghan dynasties. Persian became the language of the nobility, literary circles, and

4752-485: The ghazal. " During the same Safavid era, many subjects of the Iranian Safavids were patrons of Persian poetry, such as Teimuraz I of Kakheti . In the didactic genre one can mention Sanai 's Hadiqat-ul-Haqiqah (Garden of Truth) as well as Nizami 's Makhzan-ul-Asrār (Treasury of Secrets). Some of Attar 's works also belong to this genre as do the major works of Rumi, although some tend to classify these in

4840-409: The households of the affluent, or as soldiers and bodyguards. Young men, slaves or not, also, served wine at banquets and receptions, and the more gifted among them could play music and maintain a cultivated conversation. It was love toward young pages, soldiers, or novices in trades and professions which was the subject of lyrical introductions to panegyrics from the beginning of Persian poetry, and of

4928-438: The importance of Jahanara’s approval, in swaying her father Shah Jahan. In addition to this, she often travelled from the capital, accepting many beggars and petitioners from the people and issued Hukm or Farman to meet the needs of society. In March 1644, just days after her thirtieth birthday, Jahanara suffered serious burns on her body and almost died of her injuries. Shah Jahan ordered that vast sums of alms be given to

5016-456: The late Emperor Akbar 's library, full of books on world religions, and Persian, Turkish and Indian literature . Jahanara was no exception. From a carefree girl, she was pushed into government politics, overseeing domestic and international trade, and even mediating courtiers and foreigners to communicate with the emperor, and was involved in the tasks of resolving family disputes. Upon the death of Mumtaz Mahal in 1631, Jahanara, aged 17, took

5104-932: The latter of which dates back as far as 522 BCE, the date of the earliest surviving Achaemenid inscription, the Behistun Inscription . The bulk of surviving Persian literature, however, comes from the times following the Muslim conquest of Persia c. 650 CE. After the Abbasids came to power (750 CE), the Iranians became the scribes and bureaucrats of the Islamic Caliphate and, increasingly, also its writers and poets. The New Persian language literature arose and flourished in Khorasan and Transoxiana because of political reasons, early Iranian dynasties of post-Islamic Iran such as

5192-428: The lyrical type due to their mystical and emotional qualities. In addition, some tend to group Naser Khosrow 's works in this style as well; however true gems of this genre are two books by Saadi, a heavyweight of Persian literature, the Bustan and the Gulistan . After the 15th century, the Indian style of Persian poetry (sometimes also called Isfahani or Safavi styles) took over. This style has its roots in

5280-404: The most enduring imprint on Georgian literature (...) Despite that Asia Minor (or Anatolia ) had been ruled various times prior to the Middle Ages by various Persian-speaking dynasties originating in Iran, the language lost its traditional foothold there with the demise of the Sassanian Empire . Centuries later however, the practise and usage in the region would be strongly revived. A branch of

5368-425: The original Chandni Chowk , from Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalf 's 1843 album . In Agra , she is best known for sponsoring the building of the Jami Masjid or Friday Mosque in 1648, in the heart of the old city. The Mosque was funded entirely by Jahanara, using her personal allowance. In addition to this mosque, she also financed the construction of the Mulla Shah mosque which is located in Srinagar. She founded

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5456-517: The place of her mother as First Lady of the Empire, despite her father having three other wives. In addition to caring for her younger brothers and sisters, she was also a good caretaker of her father. One of her tasks after the death of her mother was to oversee, with the help of Sati al-Nisa, the betrothal and wedding of her brother, Dara Shikoh to Nadira Banu Begum , which was originally planned by Mumtaz Mahal, but postponed by her death. Her father frequently took her advice and entrusted her with

5544-403: The pool in the middle of the square was replaced by a grand clock tower ( Ghantaghar ). Persian literature Persian literature comprises oral compositions and written texts in the Persian language and is one of the world's oldest literatures . It spans over two-and-a-half millennia. Its sources have been within Greater Iran including present-day Iran , Iraq , Afghanistan ,

5632-409: The poor, prisoners be released, and prayers offered for the recovery of the princess. Aurangzeb, Murad , and Shaista Khan returned to Delhi to see her. Accounts differ as to what happened. Some say Jahanara's garments, doused in fragrant perfume oils, caught fire. Other accounts assert that the princess' favorite dancing woman's dress caught fire and the princess, coming to her aid, burnt herself on

5720-478: The royal Mughal courts for hundreds of years. In the early 19th century, Hindustani replaced it. Under the Mughal Empire during the 16th century, the official language of the Indian subcontinent became Persian. Only in 1832 did the British army force the South Asia to begin conducting business in English. (Clawson, p.  6) Persian poetry in fact flourished in these regions while post- Safavid Iranian literature stagnated. Dehkhoda and other scholars of

5808-793: The royal inscriptions of Achaemenid kings, particularly Darius I (522–486 BC) and his son Xerxes . Many Zoroastrian writings were destroyed in the Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century. The Parsis who fled to India , however, took with them some of the books of the Zoroastrian canon, including some of the Avesta and ancient commentaries ( Zend ) thereof. Some works of Sassanid geography and travel also survived, albeit in Arabic translations. No single text devoted to literary criticism has survived from pre-Islamic Iran . However, some essays in Pahlavi , such as "Ayin-e name nebeshtan" (Principles of Writing Book) and "Bab-e edteda’I-ye" ( Kalileh o Demneh ), have been considered as literary criticism (Zarrinkoub, 1959). Some researchers have quoted

5896-475: The same time, not all literature written in Persian is written by ethnic Persians or Iranians, as Turkic, Caucasian, Indic and Slavic poets and writers have also used the Persian language in the environment of Persianate cultures. Described as one of the great literatures of humanity, including Goethe 's assessment of it as one of the four main bodies of world literature, Persian literature has its roots in surviving works of Middle Persian and Old Persian ,

5984-405: The side of Aurangzeb. In June 1658, Aurangzeb besieged his father Shah Jahan in the Agra Fort, forcing him to surrender unconditionally, by cutting off the water supply. Jahanara came to Aurangzeb on 10 June, proposing a partition of the empire. Dara Shikoh would be given the Punjab and adjoining territories, Shuja would get Bengal, Murad would get Gujarat, Aurangzeb's son Sultan Muhammad would get

6072-541: The site of a flourishing Persianate linguistic and literary culture. The 16th-century Ottoman Aşık Çelebi (died 1572), who hailed from Prizren in modern-day Kosovo , was galvanized by the abundant Persian-speaking and Persian-writing communities of Vardar Yenicesi, and he referred to the city as a "hotbed of Persian". Many Ottoman Persianists who established a career in the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul ) pursued early Persian training in Saraybosna, amongst them Ahmed Sudi . Persian literature

6160-439: The stories that were originally folk stories are thought to have been collected orally over many years and later compiled into a single book. The compiler and 9th-century translator into Arabic is reputedly the storyteller Abu Abd-Allah Muhammad el-Gahshigar . The frame story of Shahrzad seems to have been added in the 14th century. The biggest Persian dictionary is Dehkhoda Dictionary (16 volumes) by Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda . It

6248-479: The story of Scheherazade ( Persian : شهرزاد Šahrzād ), a Sassanid queen who must relate a series of stories to her malevolent husband, King Shahryar ( Persian : شهریار Šahryār ), to delay her execution. The stories are told over a period of one thousand and one nights, and every night she ends the story with a suspenseful situation, forcing the King to keep her alive for another day. The individual stories were created over several centuries, by many people from

6336-565: The support of learning and arts. She supported the publication of a series of works on Islamic mysticism, including commentaries on Rumi 's Mathnavi , a very popular mystical work in Mughal India. Along with her brother Dara Shikoh, she was a disciple of Mullah Shah Badakhshi , who initiated her into the Qadiriyya Sufi order in 1641. Jahanara Begum made such progress on the Sufi path that Mullah Shah would have named her his successor in

6424-483: The title of Padshah Begum and 200,000 ashrafis (Persian gold coins worth two Mohurs), 600,000 rupees and an annual privy purse of one million rupees. Moreover, Shah Jahan presented Mumtaz with jewels worth five million rupees. Jahanara was given the title of Begum Sahiba and received 100,000 ashrafis, 400,000 rupees and an annual grant of 600,000 and she was also awarded jewels worth two million and five hundred thousand rupees. Upon Mumtaz Mahal's death, her personal fortune

6512-713: The tomb reads as follows: بغیر سبزہ نہ پو شد کسے مزار مرا کہ قبر پوش غریباں ہمیں گیاہ و بس است Allah is the Living, the Sustaining. Let no one cover my grave except with greenery, For this very grass suffices as a tomb cover for the poor. The mortal simplistic Princess Jahanara, Disciple of the Khwaja Moin-ud-Din Chishti, Daughter of Shah Jahan the Conqueror May Allah illuminate his proof. 1092 [1681 AD] Jahanara Begum's caravanserai that formed

6600-438: The war of succession which took place after Shah Jahan's illness in 1657, Jahanara sided with the heir-apparent Dara and joined her father in Agra Fort , where he had been placed under house arrest by Aurangzeb. A devoted daughter, she took care of Shah Jahan till his death in 1666. Later, Jahanara reconciled with Aurangzeb who gave her the title 'Empress of Princesses' and replaced her younger sister, Princess Roshanara Begum , as

6688-518: The world. He names 200 Persian lexicographical works in his dictionary, the earliest, Farhang-i Oim ( فرهنگ اویم ) and Farhang-i Menakhtay ( فرهنگ مناختای ), from the late Sassanid era of the 3rd-7th century. The most widely used Persian lexicons in the Middle Ages were those of Abu Hafs Sughdi ( فرهنگ ابوحفص سغدی ) and Asadi Tusi ( فرهنگ لغت فرس ), written in 1092. The production of Persian dictionaries declined in Iran after

6776-553: The wounds to close. A year after the accident, Jahanara fully recovered. After the accident, the princess went on a pilgrimage to Moinuddin Chishti 's shrine in Ajmer. After her recovery, Shah Jahan gave Jahanara rare gems and jewellery, and bestowed upon her the revenues of the port of Surat . She later visited Ajmer , following the example set by her great-grandfather Akbar . In honor of his coronation, on 6 February 1628, Shah Jahan awarded his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, Jahanara's mother,

6864-498: The year 1650, inside the city walls of Shahjahanabad. The best known of her projects was Chandni Chowk , the main street in the walled city of Old Delhi . She constructed an elegant caravanserai on the East side of the street with gardens in the back. Herbert Charles Fanshawe, in 1902, mentions about the serai: The serai was later replaced by a building, now known as the Town Hall, and

6952-459: Was 4 Muns or 151 pounds ) of rice should be sent by the ship for distribution among the destitute and needy of Mecca." As the de facto Primary Queen of the Mughal empire, Jahanara was responsible for charitable donations. She organized almsgiving on important state holidays and religious festivals, supported famine relief and pilgrimages to Mecca. Jahanara made important financial contributions in

7040-467: Was allowed to live in her own palace, outside the confines of the Agra Fort. There, she held her own court where she entertained nobles, ministers, officers, clerics and ambassadors, and discussed government affairs or their requests. Foreign trade was known to be an aspect of the empire which felt her influence. It is recorded that the Dutch embassy, in attempting to get permission for trade, had taken note of

7128-521: Was also given the prosperous city of Surat. Her great-grandmother, Mariam-uz-Zamani established an international trading business in the Mughal Empire and owned several trading ships like Rahīmī and Ganj-I-Sawai , which dealt between Surat and the Red Sea trading silk, indigo and spices. Nur Jahan continued the business, trading in indigo and cloth. Later, Jahanara continued the tradition. She owned

7216-497: Was divided by Shah Jahan between Jahanara Begum (who received half) and the rest of Mumtaz Mahal's surviving children. Jahanara was allotted income from a number of villages and owned several gardens, including, Bagh-i-Jahanara, Bagh-i-Nur and Bagh-i-Safa. "Her jagir included the villages of Achchol, Farjahara and the Sarkars of Bachchol, Safapur and Doharah. The pargana of Panipat was also granted to her." As mentioned above, she

7304-547: Was entrusted to Sati al-Nisa Khanam , the sister to Jahangir's poet laureate, Talib Amuli . Sati al-Nisa was known for her knowledge of the Qur'an and Persian literature , as well as for her knowledge of etiquette, housekeeping, and medicine. She also served as principal lady-in-waiting to her mother, Mumtaz Mahal. Many of the women in the imperial household were accomplished at reading, writing poetry and painting. They also played chess, polo and hunted outdoors. The women had access to

7392-556: Was entrusted with the charge of the royal seal and conferred the title of Padshah Begum (First lady) of the Mughal Empire , despite the fact that her father had three surviving wives. She was Shah Jahan's favorite daughter and she wielded major political influence during her father's reign, and has been described as "the most powerful woman in the empire" at the time. Jahanara was an ardent partisan of her brother, Dara Shikoh , and supported him as her father's chosen successor. During

7480-431: Was little known in the West before the 18-19th century. It became much better known following the publication of several translations from the works of late medieval Persian poets, and it inspired works by various Western poets and writers. Perhaps the most popular Persian poet of the 19th and early 20th centuries was Omar Khayyam (1048–1123), whose Rubaiyat was freely translated by Edward Fitzgerald in 1859. Khayyam

7568-939: Was only the emperor's right), to attend the council ( shura or diwan ), to receive audiences in her palace, and to mediate between officers, politicians, and foreign kings and the emperor. She also argued against Aurangzeb's strict regulation of public life in accordance with his conservative religious beliefs, and his decision in 1679 to restore the poll tax on non-Muslims, which she believed would alienate his Hindu subjects. She publicly quarreled with him on these issues and criticised him for his policy. Jahanara’s influence in Mughal administration resulted in several rumors and accusations of an incestuous relationship with her father, Shah Jahan. Such accusations have been dismissed by modern historians as gossip, as no witness of an incident has been mentioned. Historian K. S. Lal also dismisses such claims as rumors, propagated by courtiers and mullahs . He cites Aurangzeb's confining of Jahanara in

7656-422: Was reported that Legendary Television and Scholastic Entertainment were developing a television series adaptation. Jahanara Begum Sahib Jahanara Begum (23 March 1614 – 16 September 1681) was a princess of the Mughal Empire . She was the second and the eldest surviving child of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal . After Mumtaz Mahal's untimely death in 1631, the 17-year-old Jahanara

7744-497: Was said that it could change the fortunes of people. As French traveller and physician François Bernier writes in his memoirs, Travels in the Mogul Empire , "Shah Jahan reposed unbounded confidence in his favourite child; she watched over his safety, and so cautiously observant, that no dish was permitted to appear upon the royal table which had not been prepared under her superintendence." In 1644, when Aurangzeb angered his father,

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