SYNOPSIS

Ruling over northern India since the sixteenth century, Timurid (Mughal) emperors were avid readers and patrons of history, frequently writing or commissioning official chronicles that celebrated their reign and dynasty. These include the Bāburnāmah, Akbarnāmah, Jahāngīrnāmah, Pādshāhnāmah, ʿĀlamgīrnāmah, and many more. Although textual copies were produced for circulation among contemporary readers, fully illustrated deluxe manuscripts were produced almost exclusively for emperors and their libraries. The deluxe manuscript of the Pādshāhnāmah in the Royal Collection, Windsor Castle, stands out as a remarkable example of an extant imperial chronicle.

The corpus of chronicles is usually interpreted as an expression of local political imperatives and cultural achievements. However, the notion that these texts were also intended to circulate among local and international audiences as artefacts of soft culture is seldom examined. Disseminating and extending the empire’s hegemony through concepts of kingship, ceremonial, and legitimacy, this paper explores the appeal and impact of Timurid imperial chronicles within and beyond the presumed boundaries of the Persianate cosmopolitan world.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER 

Dr Sâqib Bâburî is an Archivist with the British Library’s project to digitise and catalogue manuscripts and India Office Records in partnership with the Qatar National Library, funded by the Qatar Foundation Project. He was previously Curator of Persian Manuscripts and Curator for Urdu, British Library. Sâqib teaches widely on the art and history of South Asia and the Middle East, with research interests in manuscript and archival histories, calligraphy and cryptography, legal documentary and chancery practices, official and personal seals, and palaeographic traditions of the Persianate world.

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