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Iranians in Mughal Politics and Society
THIS BOOK EXAMINES THE REGIONS OF IRAN WHERE FROMTHE MIGRANTS CAME, THE TYPE OF THE PEOPLE WHO MIGRATED TO INDIA AND THE PLACE WHERE THEY FINALLY SETTLED.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
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March 31, 2019
“Migration from homeland to an alien country in anticipation of economic betterment and congenial socio-political environment has been practice of humans ever since the ancient times. Religious persecution has often compelled people to leave their motherland for better opportunities. In this sense, India has been heaven for the fortune seekers from the adjoining countries, especially Persia and Central Asia.”
This book by Dr Abolghasem Dadvar is a study on the migration of a large number (461) of Iranians to Mughal India during the first half of the seventeenth century. We are told that nearly 70% of the nobility in the court of Humayun (d. 1556) was composed of the Iranian element, which had accompanied him from his sojourn in Iran, and that Iranis and Turanis (Turkic) were the two main components of the Mughal nobility in the court of Akbar (d. 1605). Hence, by the accession of Jahangir on the Mughal throne (1605), Iranian nobility had already founded a social nucleus, which facilitated more Iranians to migrate to India. The book mainly covers these migrations in the reigns of Jahangir and Shahjahan (1605-1666).
Mostly relying on the contemporary sources, Dr Dadvar also analyses the reasons and contexts of these migrations. The main reasons of this movement were a) to avoid religious persecution from the Safavid rulers, b) to escape Uzbek and Ottoman attacks on Iran, or c) to gain opportunities in India. “It must be underlined that although the Mughal emperors were Sunnis, they welcomed Iranian Shia immigrants. The Mughal Empire was certainly much more liberal pragmatic than the Ottoman Empire and Uzbek regime as far as religion was concerned”. The book quotes Emperor Jahangir as noting that, “While Sunnis had no place in Iran and Shias in Turan [Turkic-speaking lands i.e. Central Asia], in India Shias and Sunnis prayed together in a single mosque just as Christians and Jews prayed together in one church”. In addition, the fact that Persian was the official language of Mughal India naturally attracted Iranian nobility to move there rather than to the Ottoman or Uzbek lands.
An overwhelming majority of these migrants (201) consisted of poets (including such famous poets as Orfi, Qodsi, Naziri, Saeb, Kalim Hamadani and Taleb Amoli, with the last two gaining the status of Poets Laureate in the Mughal court). “Persian poetry blossomed in India rather than in its birthplace in Iran and Central Asia” in the seventeenth century. In fact, the poetical style of this era has been named Sabk-e Hindi (Indian style), which is famous for its complexity and rich language. Dadvar analyses the reasons of this influx to be predominantly economic rather than solely religious (as posited by Edward G. Browne). “The facts of the matter seem to be that the India of Akbar, Jahangir and Shahjahan was richer than was Iran from Tahmasp to Abbas II, and that the Safavid resources of patronage of poets were inadequate compared to the resources of the Mughals”.
The one flaw of the book in my opinion is the amount of mistakes, which could have easily been rectified with the help of a good editorial team. I'd recommend this book to every student and scholar of Mughal and Safavid history.
This book by Dr Abolghasem Dadvar is a study on the migration of a large number (461) of Iranians to Mughal India during the first half of the seventeenth century. We are told that nearly 70% of the nobility in the court of Humayun (d. 1556) was composed of the Iranian element, which had accompanied him from his sojourn in Iran, and that Iranis and Turanis (Turkic) were the two main components of the Mughal nobility in the court of Akbar (d. 1605). Hence, by the accession of Jahangir on the Mughal throne (1605), Iranian nobility had already founded a social nucleus, which facilitated more Iranians to migrate to India. The book mainly covers these migrations in the reigns of Jahangir and Shahjahan (1605-1666).
Mostly relying on the contemporary sources, Dr Dadvar also analyses the reasons and contexts of these migrations. The main reasons of this movement were a) to avoid religious persecution from the Safavid rulers, b) to escape Uzbek and Ottoman attacks on Iran, or c) to gain opportunities in India. “It must be underlined that although the Mughal emperors were Sunnis, they welcomed Iranian Shia immigrants. The Mughal Empire was certainly much more liberal pragmatic than the Ottoman Empire and Uzbek regime as far as religion was concerned”. The book quotes Emperor Jahangir as noting that, “While Sunnis had no place in Iran and Shias in Turan [Turkic-speaking lands i.e. Central Asia], in India Shias and Sunnis prayed together in a single mosque just as Christians and Jews prayed together in one church”. In addition, the fact that Persian was the official language of Mughal India naturally attracted Iranian nobility to move there rather than to the Ottoman or Uzbek lands.
An overwhelming majority of these migrants (201) consisted of poets (including such famous poets as Orfi, Qodsi, Naziri, Saeb, Kalim Hamadani and Taleb Amoli, with the last two gaining the status of Poets Laureate in the Mughal court). “Persian poetry blossomed in India rather than in its birthplace in Iran and Central Asia” in the seventeenth century. In fact, the poetical style of this era has been named Sabk-e Hindi (Indian style), which is famous for its complexity and rich language. Dadvar analyses the reasons of this influx to be predominantly economic rather than solely religious (as posited by Edward G. Browne). “The facts of the matter seem to be that the India of Akbar, Jahangir and Shahjahan was richer than was Iran from Tahmasp to Abbas II, and that the Safavid resources of patronage of poets were inadequate compared to the resources of the Mughals”.
The one flaw of the book in my opinion is the amount of mistakes, which could have easily been rectified with the help of a good editorial team. I'd recommend this book to every student and scholar of Mughal and Safavid history.
Displaying 1 of 1 review