Description

Babur was literate in Turkish, his mother tongue, as well as Persian, the language of literature and administration. The Babur Nama, written originally in Turkish, was translated into Persian during the reign of his grandson, Akbar (r. 1556-1605). Sadly, the records of nearly eighteen years-1502 to 1503, 1508 το 1519, and January 1520 to November 1525-have been lost..

It was Babur's habit to write the day's events while they were fresh in his mind. He also made a point of noting down personal and filial information about the contemporary potentates, both friendly and adversarial. He meticulously preserved his voluminous text. It was after establishing himself as the emperor of Hindustan (Land of the Hindus) that he began dictating his memoirs in 1527. That gives his narrative a coherent flow.

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