Magnificent album of the Baburids found in Berlin library

An exquisite album related to the Baburids has been discovered in the Berlin State Library. The album contains ghazals on one side and miniatures on the other.

This unique 120-page album, described as the muraqqa (illustrated album) of Jahangir (1569–1627), the Mughal ruler and son of Emperor Akbar the Great, was produced in India in the 1650s and later transported to Europe. Interestingly, the album includes ghazals by Alisher Navoi and Husayn Bayqara written in the Turkic language.

“If the Baburids considered themselves Mongols, the album would have been written in Mongolian. This suggests that historians need to reconsider calling the Baburids ‘Mongols’,” said Aysima Mirsultan, a researcher in the Central Asia Department of the Berlin State Library.

Although the Baburid dynasty ruled for over three centuries, they never forgot their ancestors, nationality, or language. While the court may have used Persian, Hindi, or other languages, major decisions were conducted in Turkic, with many Turkic manuscripts copied. Of the 125 albums, 25 are held at the Berlin State Library, while the rest are reportedly in the United Kingdom, the United States, the Czech Republic, and Iran.