by Mutribi al-Asamm Samarqandi ; translated from the Persian with an introduction by Richard C. Foltz.
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.
Cost Mesa, Calif. :
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Mazda,
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
1998.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item
[ix]i, 98 p. ;
Dimensions
22 cm.
INTERNAL BIBLIOGRAPHIES/INDEXES NOTE
Text of Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [93]-96) and index.
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Text of Note
This unusual work is comprised of dialogues between Emperor Nur al-Din Jahangir, ruler of the Mughal Empire of India from 1605-1627, and "Mutribi" al-Asamm Samarqandi, an elderly visitor from Samarqand, the fabled Central Asian city which had been the capital of Jahangir's Timurid ancestors, Mutribi's account is of very great interest and importance for a number of reasons.
Text of Note
First, its informal style offers a rare and intimate glimpse into the character of the Mughal emperor in particular and into court life in general, at times even exceeding Jahangir's own memoirs, the Tuzuk-i Jahangiri, in candor. Second, it provides insight into the enduring Mughal attachment to their Central Asian homeland, which Jahangir demonstrates most profoundly in his conversations with his visitor from Samarqand.
Text of Note
Finally, it is an important historical document of Jahangir's reign, filling in the period just months before his death, after his own memoirs had left off.