Our Great Ancestors Should Be Called by Their True Names

April 9 marks the birthday of Amir Temur. In recent years, thanks to the initiatives of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the preservation, study, and promotion of our rich and majestic cultural heritage has become part of state policy.

 

On June 23, 2017, a Presidential decree was adopted establishing the Center for Islamic Civilization under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which became one of the most significant steps in this direction.

 

An Unforgettable Event in the History of the Center

 

On January 29, the Head of State, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, visited the Center and reviewed the progress of construction work. This visit became an unforgettable event for the staff of the Center. During the tour of the construction process and the exhibition, the President gave valuable recommendations regarding the organization of the Center’s work as well as the enhancement of its content.

 

The President also examined monumental artistic paintings depicting great scholars and historical figures, which are to be displayed in the main foyer of the Center. He provided suggestions for their improvement. Soon afterward, historical artifacts discovered by the Center’s scholars, as well as facsimile copies brought from foreign museums and libraries, and projects published with the support of the World Society for the Preservation, Study, and Promotion of the Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan were presented.

 

The statement of the Head of State: “Anyone who visits this Center will clearly see that Islam is, above all, a religion of peace, development, and tolerance, and will recognize the great contribution of the Uzbek people to world civilization” — also defines the essence and mission of the work carried out here.

 

When creating content for the Islamic Civilization Center of Uzbekistan, the principle of “Civilizations, Personalities, Discoveries” is consistently followed. The main distinction of the Center from similar institutions, museums, or libraries operating in this field around the world lies in its focus on civilizations that emerged on our land in different historical eras, as well as on the individuals who lived during these times and their contributions to global civilization.

 

Amir Timur — Pride of the Nation

 

A special place in the exhibition of the Center is dedicated to the significant changes during the reign of Amir Timur, the Timurid era, the cultural environment of that time, as well as the lives and works of scholars and philosophers from that period.

 

During the reign of Amir Timur and his successors, large cities emerged, science, culture, architectural monuments, art, and literature flourished, and these developments continue to attract the attention of the global scientific community. In the exhibition, Amir Timur is depicted not only as a great military leader and statesman but also as the founder of the Second Renaissance in the East, a patron of science, education, and culture, and a supporter of civilization.

 

However, today, different parts of the world hold various, sometimes opposing views about this great ruler and his descendants. As worthy heirs, we must strive to eliminate these incorrect approaches.

 

One of the unresolved international issues is communicating to the public that the Timurids and the Baburs are a unified dynasty, as well as properly evaluating the term “Great Mongols,” which is actively used by Western historians.

 

Who Were the Baburids?

 

As history tells us, after unsuccessful campaigns in Maverannahr and Khorasan, Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur set out for Hindustan in 1525. Thus, a new dynasty was established in much of India — the Baburids.

 

This dynasty ruled the country until the British conquest in 1858. The Baburids, while respecting local values, customs, and traditions, brought a new culture to India. In the visual arts of the Baburid era, one can observe the harmony between local and Timurid traditions. Rulers such as Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb made significant contributions to the development of science, art, and culture in the country.

 

During the Baburid period, great attention was paid to science. Many educational institutions were built, and conditions were created for the development of various sciences. A number of well-known buildings and structures were erected in India during this time.

 

Among these, the Taj Mahal stands as one of the highest examples of Eastern architecture. The Red Fort in Delhi, India, became a symbol of the power of the Baburid dynasty.

 

Under the rule of the Baburids, many scientific, philosophical, and literary works were created, and scientific and creative activity was supported. Painting and sculpture reached a high level of development during this period.

 

Memory of Ancestors and Loyalty to Traditions

 

The Baburids always remained faithful to their traditions, cultural heritage, and native language. According to sources, Baburid rulers would hold gatherings with their most trusted servants and family members in Turkish.

 

During the Baburid era, alongside Hindi and Persian, the Turkish language and literature also flourished. Babur, Humayun, Kamron, and other members of the dynasty created divans (collections of poems) and wrote works in Turkish.

 

At the court of Shah Jahan, Turkish poetic competitions were held, where renowned poets from Maverannahr and Khorasan were invited. Works written in Turkish were translated into Persian and Hindi. Aurangzeb personally edited the Turkish manuscript of the Baburnama.

 

Baburid rulers invited scholars, poets, calligraphers, and artists from Maverannahr and Khorasan to their palaces. They corresponded with several foreign states, including Russia, in their native Turkish language.

 

The work “Temur Tuzuklari”, which is a unique code of laws by Amir Timur, was discovered during the reign of the Baburids. It was translated from Turkish to Persian and repeatedly copied.

 

During this time, many masterpieces of Eastern literature were written. The works of Alisher Navoi and Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur, such as the Baburnama, were translated into Persian and Hindi. Miniatures were created depicting many Timurid rulers, scholars, and cultural figures.

 

Among the examples of Indian miniature painting, one can often find depictions of Baburid rulers on the throne, shown alongside Amir Timur and Babur. This undoubtedly highlights the high regard for their lineage and heritage. Many of the surviving images of Amir Timur and Babur belong to Indian artists.

 

One such work is a painting by the Indian artist Muhammad Afzal Abu Fakirulloh, currently housed in the Rampur Raza Library. In this painting, created in 1712-1713, the founder of the dynasty, Amir Timur, is depicted among twelve of his descendants.

 

On the left side of the painting, we see Mironshoh, Abu Said Mirza, Babur, Akbar, Shah Jahan, and Bahadur Shah; on the right side, we have Muhammad Sultan, Umarshah Mirza, Humayun, Jahangir, Alamgir, and Jahondorshah. Thus, Babur and his descendants always took pride in their Turkish roots and their descent from Amir Timur.

 

Caesar, Conquered by Babur

 

From February 12 to 15 of this year, a delegation from Uzbekistan, consisting of representatives from the Center for Islamic Civilization, made an official visit to Italy.

 

Interest in the work of the great Timuride, the founder of the Baburid dynasty in India, Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur, has existed in Europe for a long time. It is known that Babur Mirza left behind a unique and rich literary-scientific legacy as a refined poet, an encyclopedic scholar, an outstanding statesman, and a talented military commander.

 

As early as the beginning of the 18th century, his work Baburnama began to be translated into European languages. Recently, the Italian publishing house Sandro Teti Editore released the Baburnama in Italian. The book was translated by the renowned Italian scholar and Turkologist Federico Pastore.

 

Presentations of the Italian edition of the Baburnama took place in cities like Florence and Rome. During these events, it was emphasized that the publication of this work holds a respectable place in the literary and educational relations between the two countries.

 

When it was my turn to speak, I highlighted the significance of this edition for the friendly relations between our peoples and specifically addressed the already mentioned issue.

 

Undoubtedly, the respect and interest of European scholars and researchers in the history and culture of Uzbekistan, as well as the heritage of the Timurids and Baburids, pleases us. However, unfortunately, in Europe, the term “Great Mughals” has been applied to the Baburids for several centuries. It is high time to replace this term with “Great Timurids.”

 

“I fully support this idea,” said Professor Franco Cardini, who participated in the event. “The diary of the Spanish ambassador Rui González de Clavijo allows us to get an objective understanding of the origins of Amir Timur and the Timurids, and their place in world civilization. Thanks to Amir Timur, the peoples of Europe were freed from the Ottoman yoke for half a century. This provided a powerful boost to the Renaissance in Europe. Therefore, calling Babur—a descendant of Amir Timur—and his descendants, who ruled in India, ‘The Great Timurids’ will restore historical justice.”

It’s not the first time...

I have raised this issue several times during various foreign trips. For example, about two months ago, we were in the United Kingdom for a media event dedicated to the cultural heritage of Uzbekistan. And once again, we encountered a similar situation. During the trip, we visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and explored unique exhibits.

During those days, an exhibition called “Art of the Baburid Era” was held at the museum. It featured rare artifacts related to the reign of Babur and his descendants — Akbar, Jahangir Mirza, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb. The highlights included original historical works such as Baburnama, Akbarnama, unique murakka (albums), and miniatures that were part of these collections. Additionally, the exhibition displayed military armor and weapons from the Baburid era, jewelry, royal gifts, historical documents, and unparalleled examples of folk applied art.

The exhibition was organized at a very high level, and the flow of visitors was continuous. However, one detail marred the overall impression — the title of the exhibition: “Art of the Great Mughals.”

Of course, we held a meeting with the organizers of the exhibition and explained to them that this title was incorrect, as the Baburids have no relation to the modern Mongols or Moghulistan. The organizers promised to thoroughly investigate the issue.

I also mentioned this to the renowned scholar, the president of the Timurids Association, Frédérique Bressan, who had come from Paris specifically to participate in our events. She fully supported the viewpoint I expressed.

“I am well familiar with the historical sources concerning the Timurids and with numerous studies by European scholars,” said Mrs. Bressan. “Although the Baburid dynasty is officially a continuation of the Timurids, historians worldwide study it as a separate period. Frankly, I don’t understand why this dynasty is still referred to as the ‘Great Mughals.’”

Mrs. Bressan and I agreed to organize an international conference in Paris later this year, dedicated to the legacy of the Timurids, where we intend to convey to the global academic community the necessity of revising this designation.

If Historical Justice Were to Prevail...

The history of the Baburid Empire, which ruled for 350 years, has been studied by scholars worldwide for centuries. However, how accurate is the term “Great Mughals” that the Western academic community uses to refer to this dynasty, as a “strangely glorified” one?

It is true that this term is not entirely detached from reality. The genetic roots of the Turks and Mongols intersect at a single point, where they have been intertwined for millennia. However, over the centuries, these two peoples developed under the influence of different cultures, beliefs, and views, undergoing separate stages of development.

According to Mirza Ulugh Beg, Genghis Khan did not speak any language other than Mongolian. In the Ilkhanid state, which ruled over Iran, many official documents were written in Mongolian rather than Turkish. After Genghis Khan’s conquests, his descendants embraced Islam and Turkic culture. Under the influence of the local environment, the Chinggisid rulers in Central Asia and the Golden Horde became fully Turkified within a century.

Babur was descended on his father's side from the Timurids and on his mother's side from the Turkified Chinggisids. In his writings, he never referred to himself as a Mongol. It was only because of his maternal connection to the Chinggisids, and the large number of Mongol soldiers and amirs in Babur’s army, that the local population in India began using the term “mugal” (not “Mongol” or “Mughal”) to refer to the Muslim military elite. Later, due to this mistaken perception, European scholars began calling this dynasty the “Empire of the Great Mughals.”

However, neither Babur nor his descendants spoke the Mongolian language. During their reign, the official languages of the state were Turkic (Old Uzbek) and Persian.

Babur always took pride in being of Turkic descent. In particular, his 1525 poem written in Persian to the ruler of the Indian region of Biyana, Nizamkhan, demonstrates his determination and talent:

Bo turk sitaza makun ey miri Biyaona,
Cholokiyu mardonagii turk ayyon ast,
Gar zud naoiu nasihat nakuni gush,
Onjo ki ayyon ast, chi hojat ba bayon ast.

(Oh, ruler of Biyana, do not mock the Turk — his strength and courage are well-known. If you do not immediately heed our advice, then we shall not need to explain what is already evident.)

What Do Scholars Say?

In October of last year, the International Week of Cultural Heritage was held in Tashkent under the initiative of the Center for Islamic Civilization. The theme of the event was “The Phenomenon of Eastern Renaissances: Empires, Religions, Personalities, and Civilizations.” During the event, German scholar and staff member of the Berlin State Library, Oysiymo Mirsulton, shared an important discovery.

According to her, the Berlin Library houses a muraqqa (an anthology album) created during the reign of Baburid Emperor Jahangir (1569–1627), between 1608 and 1618. This album contains Turkic poems by poets such as Alisher Navoi, Hussein Boyqaro, and Mavlavi. Until recently, German researchers studying this manuscript were unaware that the bayts written in the Arabic script were in Uzbek, mistakenly interpreting them as fragments in Hindi (Urdu).

Currently, only 25 pages of this manuscript remain in the Berlin Library’s collection. Originally, it consisted of 120 pages and included 44 miniatures. Today, the pages of the album are scattered across various parts of the world.

The miniatures vividly display characteristics of both Eastern and Western visual art. The Turkic poems are meticulously transcribed in an error-free nasta’liq script. The album contains dozens of poems by the great thinker Alisher Navoi.

This manuscript alone proves that despite the Baburids ruling in India, they remained true to their history, culture, and spiritual heritage, never forgetting their language and literature, and paying great attention to them.

“I have been studying the heritage of the Baburids for many years,” said Professor Ruhshana Iftikhor from the University of Punjab, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, at the international congress in Samarkand in August 2024. “Why should we call the Baburids, descendants of Amir Timur, Mongols? Mongolia is in a completely different region, and the history, lifestyle, and culture of this people are entirely different from the Baburids. I believe this dynasty should be called ‘The Great Timurids.’”

The Recognized Truth by Arnold Toynbee

The renowned British historian and sociologist Arnold Toynbee, in his book A Study of History, particularly emphasizes the role of the Baburid dynasty in global statecraft. He highlights that after the Baburids established a universal state in India, its borders were strengthened. Toynbee writes: “At the height of their power, they annexed part of the Uzbek states in the Amu Darya basin, from which they originated.”

The following excerpts from his book further clarify the essence: “...Of course, Delhi was not their first capital. But the city of Agra, which became the first capital of the Baburids, was located in the very heart of the country.”

“...The administrators of the British Empire also followed the path of the Baburids. Moreover, they created opportunities for Indian merchants to participate in the economic life of the country.”

Note that Toynbee, when discussing this dynasty, prefers to use the term “Baburids” rather than “Great Mughals” and recognizes them as Uzbek rulers. This viewpoint is also shared by American historian Frederick Starr in his works The Discovery of Central Asia and In Search of a Lost Civilization.

In Conclusion...

To call the state founded by Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur in India the “Great Mughals” is nothing but a distortion of historical truth. Even the term “Baburids” used for them does not fully reflect the essence of the truth. After all, the founder of this dynasty, which ruled India for three and a half centuries, was not considered by the Indians to be Babur, but rather Amir Timur himself.

In world history, the epithet “Great” has been applied to a number of rulers: Great Cyrus, Great Alexander, Great Charlemagne, Great Peter... It is time for the global scholarly community to widely adopt the concept of “Great Amir Timur” and refer to his descendants as “Great Timurids.”

As our esteemed President rightly noted: “In great history, nothing goes unnoticed. It lives in the blood of the peoples, in their historical memory, and manifests in their deeds. Therefore, it is powerful. The preservation, study, and transmission of historical heritage from generation to generation is one of the most important priorities of state policy.” Restoring historical truth, showing due respect for the names and personalities of our great ancestors, and calling them by their true names is our duty as heirs of this great history.

Firdavs Abdukhollikov,
Director of the Center for Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan.