ROLE OF PERSIANS AT THE MUGHAL COURT: A HISTORICAL STUDY, DURING 1526 A.D. TO 1707 A.D. PH.D THESIS SUBMITTED BY, MUHAMMAD ZIAUDDIN SUPERVISOR: PROF. DR. MUNIR AHMED BALOCH IN THE AREA STUDY CENTRE FOR MIDDLE EAST & ARAB COUNTRIES UNIVERSITY OF BALOCHISTAN QUETTA, PAKISTAN. FOR THE FULFILMENT OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN HISTORY 2005 DECLARATION BY THE CANDIDATE I, Muhammad Ziauddin, do solemnly declare that the Research Work Titled “Role of Persians at the Mughal Court: A Historical Study During 1526 A.D to 1707 A.D” is hereby submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy and it has not been submitted elsewhere for any Degree. The said research work was carried out by the undersigned under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Munir Ahmed Baloch, Director, Area Study Centre for Middle East & Arab Countries, University of Balochistan, Quetta, Pakistan. Muhammad Ziauddin CERTIFICATE This is to certify that Mr. Muhammad Ziauddin has worked under my supervision for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. His research work is original. He fulfills all the requirements to submit the accompanying thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Prof. Dr. Munir Ahmed Research Supervisor & Director Area Study Centre For Middle East & Arab Countries University of Balochistan Quetta, Pakistan. Prof. Dr. Mansur Akbar Kundi Dean Faculty of State Sciences University of Balochistan Quetta, Pakistan. d DEDICATED TO THE UNFORGETABLE MEMORIES OF LATE PROF. MUHAMMAD ASLAM BALOCH OF HISTORY DEPARTMENT UNIVERSITY OF BALOCHISTAN, QUETTA PAKISTAN e ACKNOWLEDGMENT First of all I must thank to Almighty Allah, who is so merciful and beneficent to all of us, and without His will we can not do anything; it is He who guide us to the right path, and give us sufficient knowledge and strength to perform our assigned duties. Since the time of my registration as a Ph.D candidate, I have incurred a considerable number of debts of warm gratitude. Indeed I am grateful to more people that I can recount. I take pride in expressing my deep appreciation and gratitude to my Supervisor Prof. Dr. Munir Ahmed, Director Area Study Centre for Middile East & Arab Countries, University of Balochistan, Quetta for his constant guidance, kind interest, useful suggestions and constructive criticism in the completion of my dissertation. No appropriate words of thanks can express my feelings to him. I owe gratitude to Prof. Dr. Mansur Akbar Kundi, Dean Faculty of State Sciences, Prof. Dr. G.M. Jaffar, Chairman, Department of Islamiat, Prof. Dr. Farooq Ahmed, Chairman, Department of Urdu, University of Balochistan, Quetta, and my senior colleague Prof. S.A Wahab Shah for their valuable advices and admonitions which kept me busy in my research work positively. Moreover, I am also grateful to the other colleagues of my department for their well-wishes which kept me active in carrying out my task. I also extend my thanks to Prof. Sharafat Abbas, Chairman, Department of Persian, Prof. Muhammad Ilyas of the Department of Library & Information Science, Prof. Dr. Syed Zafar Ilyas of the Department of Physics and Prof. Hamid Hasan Khan, Chairman Department of Philosophy, f University of Balochistan, Quetta, for providing me with useful advices and as well as steering my research work properly. I also want to extend my heartiest thanks and gratitude to Prof. Muhammad Arif of the Department of International Relations for his enormous help which he accorded to me throughout my studies. I must acknowledge with thanks to Mrs. Sakina Malik, former Librarian, and specially Md. Nurjahan, Assistant Librarian, of the University of Balochistan, Quetta. I am especially indebted to the Staff of Liaquat Memorial Library Karachi, and the Library of University of Karachi for their cooperation in searching and photocopying of the relevant research material. I also appreciate the scrupulous efforts of Miss Tabinda Zahoor, my wife’s niece and student of General History Department, University of Karachi, for her assistance in searching of some valuable books and research journals that enabled me to accomplish this research work. I must not to forget my wife’s elder brother Muhammad Rehmatullah for his painstaking task of proof reading with great discernment the whole script of this thesis. I am highly beholden to my father S.A Nasir Rizvi, my mother and my brothers and sisters and other connections for their well wishes and benedictions which they have been incessantly accorded to me during the entire study and progression of this dissertation. In the end, I must thank my better-half Mrs. Shagufta Zia and my sons Shahab-ud-Din and Imad-ud-Din who, in spite of the suffering of long hours of solitude remained a constant source of encouragement to me throughout my studies. Muhammad Ziauddin g ABBREVIATIONS A.A. Ain-i-Akbari A.D. Anno Domini A. Dad. Abolghasem Dadvar A.G.M. Ahmad Golchin,Ma’ani A.H. After Hijra A.L.S. A. Lateef Sayed A.S. Alaih-Salam B.C. Before Christ B.P.S. Banarsi Prasad Saksena C.A.M.A. Calligraphic Art in Mughal Architecture C.D.M.A. Colour Decoration in Mughal Architecture E.B.F. Ellison Banks Findly F.R. Francis Richard G.M.A. Glimpses of Mughal Architecture G.M.I. The Gardens of Mughul India H.A.D. Humaira Arif Dasti (Dr.) I.A.K. Iqtidar Alam Khan K.H. Khurshid Hasan M.A.G. M. Abdul Ghani M.H. Mansura Haider M.R.K. Majumdar, Raychaudhuri & Kalikinkar N.A.J. The Nobility under Akbar and Jahangir h R.A. Rehmat-ullah Alaih R.A.T.A. Razi ‘Allah-o-Ta‘ala ‘Anho R.M.S. Roger M. Savory R.S.A. Rama Shankar Avasthy. S.A.R. Saiyid Athar Rizvi S.A.W. Sallallah-o-Alaih Wasallam T.S. Tarikh-i-Sindh S.M.J. S.M Jaffar, S.P.V. Som Prakash Verma T.A. Tarikh-i-Adabiyat T.H.H. Tasweer Husain Hamidi T.U. Tadhkirat-al-Umara i Abstract This dissertation renders the Persians’ role at the Mughal Court that was really their enormous contribution which provided Mughal Empire an additional glory, ecstasy and magnificence in its enterprise. Thus the significance of this historical study stems from a huge and multidimensional role played by the Persians at the Mughal Court and as well in the annals of Mughal India, as a consequence of their continuous migration towards Indian Sub-continent. The research shows a historical background of over-all Indo-Persian relations that has been occurred during ancient and medieval times before the advent of Mughal Empire in India. It purports the causes of migration of Persian emigrants towards Mughal India and their key role in the politics and administration along with its comparison with other fractions of nobility which were prevailing in India. Dissertation also unfolds the religious role of Persians in separate epochs during the Mughal regime, in view of the establishment of Safawid Dynasty in Persia and its Safawid religious propaganda. It underlines the Persians role in the language and literature during the Mughal regime as well as the causes of migration of Persian men-of-pen towards Mughal India. It cogently highlights the impact of Persian language and literature on other spheres of India. In addition, it also discloses Persians’ gigantic role in the Mughal culture, arts and society and deals with the analysis j of some of the Persian cultural customs, traditions in Mughal culture and society that resulted by the firm interactions with the Persians. Self-made analytical data tables support the entire role of Persians at the Mughal Court throughout the research period. Dissertation concludes that Mughal rulers of India kept up the closest of contacts with Persia and there was a stream of talented Persians which comprised administrators, theologians, scholars and artists coming over the Indian frontiers to seek fame and fortune at the brilliant Court of the Great Mughals. They performed a crucial role in trimming and enterprising the multidimensional aspects of entire Mughal period under study. k CONTENTS Page ABBREVIATIONS h ABSTRACT j CHAPTER-I I N T R O D U C T I O N 1-25 Mughals in Historical Perspective 4 Mughal-Persian Boundaries 6 Persia and Persians in Historical Perspective 6 The Legacy of Indo-Persian Culture in Mughal India 9 Definition of the Terms: ‘Persians’ and ‘Mughal Court’ 13 Chronological and Subjective Scope 14 Significance 15 Objectives 16 Research Procedure 17 Chapters’ Description 17 References 22 CHAPTER-II HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF PERSIANS IMPACT ON INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT FROM ANCIENT TIMES UPTO THE ESTABLISHEMENT OF MUGHAL EMPIRE IN 1526 A.D. 26-57 (A) Persians’ impact on Indian Sub-continent during Ancient Times 27 Achaemenids 30 Sassanids 35 (B) Persians’ impact on Indian Sub-continent from the advent of Islam up to the establishment of Mughal Empire in 1526 A.D. 37 Advent of Islam 37 Arabs 38 l Parsees (Zoroastrians) in India 39 Ghaznavids 42 Ghorids 43 Sultanate of Dehli 44 References 52 CHAPTER-III ROLE OF PERSIANS IN THE MUGHAL POLITICS AND ADMINISTRATION 58-112 Causes of the Migration of Persian Emigrants towards Mughal India 61 The Role of Nobility at the Mughal Court 62 Racial and Religious Groups of Nobility at the Mughal Court 63 Persians in the Politics and Administration of Babur and Humayun 63 Table-1.A Persian Emigrants during Babur’s Reign Who were assigned Ranks in Administration/Army 65 Table-1.B Racial Composition of Babur’s Nobility During 1526-1530 A.D. 65 Table-1.C Persian Emigrants during Humayun’s Reign Who were assigned Ranks in Administration/Army 70 The Role of Bairam Khan 70 Persians in the Politics and Administration of Akbar 73 Table - 1.D Persian Emigrants during Akbar’s Reign Who were assigned Ranks in Administration/Army 74 Table-1.E Racial and Religious Composition of Mughal Mansabdars 500-3000 and Above During 1595 A.D.