This Is The Book Where History Meets The Bride Of Fiction. In This Loveless Union, Both Striving For The Kernels Of Truth. Sixteenth Century Is The Time Period In Which This Saga Unfolds. The Scenario Opens At Kabul In Afghanistan, Down The Slope Of One Small Hill, Called Gulkhaneh. This Hill Lies Against The Majestic Range Of The Himalayas, Where The Biblical Cain Is Believed To Be Buried. Babur Is A Poet, A Mystic, And A Scholar. He Is Dauntless To A Verge Of Recklessness, Loving His Moun¬Tain-Brides, And Indulging In Pleasures Even Amidst The Extremities Of Wars. The Plot And The Characters Follow The Bride¬Groom Of History Like The Phantoms Of The Fate. Yet, The Bride Of Fiction Feeds The Very Lips Of The Words With Exotic Dialogues. The Scenic Splendors Along The Way Shun The Dull Bridegroom Of History, And Welcome The Bride Of Fiction On A Swift, Pleasant Journey Toward The Stairway To India. Babur Is The True Heir Of Tamerlane Sixth In Line From Him As His Paternal Ancestor, And From Genghis Khan As His Maternal Ancestor. After Thirty-Six Years Of Turbulent Rule (Only Five Years In India), When Babur Died At Agra, At The Age Of Forty-Eight, His Empire Extended Eastward From Badakhshan And Kabul Through The Punjab To The Borders Of Bengal. He Died As He Lived ! Like A True Mystic, Espousing Gaiety And Laughter. And Living In The Warmth And Sunshine Of His Great, Great Loves. And Welcoming Death Without Fear ! Rather, Immolating His Life, To Save The Life Of His Beloved Son, Humayun. Thus, Dying In Conformity With His Belief To Live Joyfully And To Die Happily. Farzana Moon Is A Native Of Pakistan. She Is A Teacher And A Writer. Her Poetry And Prose Have Appeared In Literary Journals In The United States. She Is A Citizen Of The United States, And Is Residing In Ohio With Her Husband And Daughter. Her Literary Pursuits Range From Religion To Philosophy, From Politics To History. Her Plays, Includ¬Ing The One Based On The Mahabharata, Are Being Considered By Us And Canadian Publishers. She Plans To Write Six Moghul Sagas, Three Of Which Are Complete. Her Third Moghul Saga, Divine Akbar And Holy India, Is Being Considered By Us And Foreign Publishers.

Both an official chronicle and the highly personal memoir of the emperor Babur (1483–1530), The Baburnama presents a vivid and extraordinarily detailed picture of life in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India during the late-fifteenth and early-sixteenth centuries. Babur’s honest and intimate chronicle is the first autobiography in Islamic literature, written at a time when there was no historical precedent for a personal narrative—now in a sparkling new translation by Islamic scholar Wheeler Thackston. This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition includes notes, indices, maps, and illustrations. From the Trade Paperback edition.

"Offers readers a compelling picture of Babur's Central Asian world, one which is little appreciated by most individuals who are either natives or students of South Asia studies"--Provided by publisher.

Babur, the visionary founder of Timurid Empire in Hindustan, had a fair share of early struggle following his father’s tragic demise in AD 1494. Then on, Babur embarked on an unyielding pursuit of power amid treacherous political landscapes, the narrative unveils his moniker, ‘the chessboard king,’ portraying his adept navigation through political intricacies and adversities. From his ascent to rulership in Ferghana amidst familial threats to fleeting victories and losses in Samarkand, the book paints a poignant picture of Babur's journey. It portrays his retreat to tribal lands after relinquishing hopes of reclaiming Ferghana, eventually establishing a mountainous kingdom in Kabul, a pivotal milestone preceding his ambition to expand into Hindustan. Recounting his initial endeavour to penetrate Hindustan in AD 1505, his alliances, and subsequent setbacks after Sultan Husayn Mirza Bayqarah's demise, leaving him as the sole Timurid prince in power, the book opens a window to Babur's failed second attempt to enter Hindustan, encapsulating the initial thirteen to fourteen tumultuous years of his reign, marked by exile, fleeting victories, and delicate alliances. Gripping, anecdotal and deeply researched Babur: The Chessboard King delves into Hindustan's economic landscape during Timurid rule and portrays Babur as a multifaceted ruler, challenging the typical depiction of an infallible conqueror and a good human being. Meticulously sourced from the Persian manuscript of the Baburnama and other primary sources, this book represents a milestone in Babur's biographical genre, essential for comprehending the ambitions of this enigmatic king.

“If you only read one autobiography from a sensitive 16th-century warlord this year, make it this one.” —The New York Times A hardcover edition of the colorful memoirs of Babur—founder and first emperor of the Mughal dynasty—that is "justly considered a masterpiece" (The Wall Street Journal). Zahiru’d-din Muhamad Babur (1483–1530), a poet-prince from Central Asia, was the author of one of the most remarkable autobiographies in world literature. The Babur Nama reveals him as not only a military genius but also a ruler unusually magnanimous for his time, cultured, witty, and possessing a talent for poetry, an adventurous spirit, and an acute eye for natural beauty. Babur ascended the throne of Fergana, in what is now Uzbekistan, when he was twelve years old. He eventually invaded India and founded the Mughal dynasty, which would dazzle the world for three centuries. Babur left behind a detailed and colorful record of his life, written in simple and unpretentious prose, that has fascinated readers for hundreds of years. But his self-portrait goes beyond the events of a dramatic life; on the page, his restless energy and ambition are balanced by modesty, regret for his failures, and frankness about his experiences with depression and grief in response to tragedy. The Babur Nama is both a lively chronicle of extraordinary historical events and a deeply personal memoir whose unusual honesty and sensitivity has given it enduring appeal.

The Facts Are As Stated Here . . . I Have Set Down Of Good And Bad Whatever Is Known. The Babur Nama, A Journal Kept By Zahir Uddin Muhammad Babur (1483 1530), The Founder Of The Mughal Empire, Is The Earliest Example Of Autobiographical Writing In World Literature, And One Of The Finest. Against The Turbulent Backdrop Of Medieval History, It Paints A Precise And Vivid Picture Of Life In Central Asia And Afghanistan Where Babur Ruled In Samarkand And Kabul And In The Indian Subcontinent, Where His Dazzling Military Career Culminated In The Founding Of A Dynasty That Lasted Three Centuries. Babur Was Far More Than A Skilled, Often Ruthless, Warrior And Master Strategist. In This Abridged And Edited Version Of A 1921 English Translation Of His Memoirs, He Also Emerges As A Sensitive Aesthete, Naturalist, Poet And Lover. Writer, Journalist And Internationally Acclaimed Middle Eastern And Central Asian Expert, Dilip Hiro Breathes New Life Into A Unique Historical Document That Is At Once Objective And Intensely Personal For, In Babur S Words, The Truth Should Be Reached In Every Matter .

This book is a concise biography of Babur, who founded the Timurid-Mughal Empire of South Asia. Based primarily on his autobiography and existential verse, it chronicles the life and career of a Central Asian, Turco-Mongol Muslim who, driven from his homeland by Uzbeks in 1504, ruled Kabul for two decades before invading 'Hindustan' in 1526. It offers a revealing portrait of Babur's Perso-Islamic culture, Timurid imperial ambition and turbulent emotional life. It is, above all, a humanistic portrait of an individual, who even as he triumphed in South Asia, suffered the regretful anguish of an exile who felt himself to be a stranger in a strange land.