The Jahangirnama Memoirs of Jahangir, Emperor of India

by Thackston, Wheeler M.

• ISBN13: 9780195127188
• ISBN10: 0195127188
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-11-25
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Wheeler Thackstons lively new translation of The Jahangirnama , co-published with the Freer/Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, presents an engaging portrait of an intriguing emperor and his flourishing empire. The Emperor Jahangir is probably best know in the West as being the father of Shahjahan, who built the Taj Mahal. His reign was one of great prosperity, and his passion for art and nature encouraged a flowering that some say rivaled European art during the rule of the Medicis. In penning his memoirs, Jahangir followed a tradition begun by his great-grandfather, the Emperor Babur. Jahangirs memoirs, however, provide not only the history of his reign, but also his reflections on art, politics, and private details about his familyincluding the suicide of one of his wivesand selections of poetry written by members of his harem. One of Jahangirs stories describes his astonishment at witnessing the fall of a meteorite, an event that so amazed him that he ordered that a dagger be made from its metal. This book includes a selection of exquisite full-color paintings, drawings, and objects that specifically illustrate the passages they accompany--including a photograph of the Emperors treasured dagger. A lover of jewels, nature, hunting, drinking, and opiates, Jahangir carried the Mughal empire to artistic and political heights. Refreshingly candid and frank, this splendidly illustrated edition of Jahangirs memoirs is a thoroughly absorbing profile of an emperor and the zenith of his empire.

Author Biography

Wheeler Thackston is a Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization at Harvard University. He is the translator and editor of The Baburnama, Memoirs of Babur, Prince and Emperor, which was published by Oxford University Press in 1996.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vi
Milo Cleveland Beach
Acknowledgments	viii
Translator's Preface	ix
Preface to the Jahangirnama	1	(18)
The Jahangirnama	19	(442)
Jahangirnama Chronology	461	(2)
Glossary	463	(10)
Appendix A: Weights and Measures Used by Jahangir	473	(2)
Appendix B: Soubas of the Empire and Their Constituent Sarkars, from the Ain-i-Akbari	475	(1)
Appendix C: Translations	476	(4)
Selected References	480	(3)
Index of People and Places	483