The book "The Majalis of Jahangir" written by Abdul Sattar bin Qasim Lahori, one of the close friends of Jahangir Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal Emperor, is a newly discovered, very useful and interesting source for the three-year events of Nuruddin Jahangir from 24 Rajab 1017 to 19 Ramadan 1020 AH. The author has recorded the events and conversations he witnessed and listened to during the night gatherings of Jahangir over the three years in 122 Majlis.

The Majalis of Jahangir is actually an unofficial history of the literary, historical, and cultural events of Jahangir's court, and it contains useful information about the presence of poets, artists, and statesmen from Iran and Transoxiana in Jahangir's court. In the Majalis of Jahangir, interesting points about Jahangir's interests in poetry, poetry criticism, music, painting, coinage, and hunting are expressed, which paint a clearer picture of Jahangir's tastes.

This work is divided into 122 chapters that represent historical reports. In each chapter, the author has given the date of the assembly both in the Hijri calendar and in the year of Jahangir's reign. The length of the chapters varies. There are very short collections that cover only a minor topic, while other collections deal with a wider range of topics. In these assemblies, the conversation usually moves from one topic to another without any obvious connection.

 

Resources for further reading:

Kollatz، Anna. «Majālis-i Jahāngīrī». Christian-Muslim Relations 1500 - 1900.

Lefèvre, C. (2012). The Majālis-i Jahāngīrī (1608-11): Dialogue and Asiatic Otherness at the Mughal Court. Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 55(2-3), 255-286.

​

This book can be used well by those interested in Islam in South Asia and the Timurid Empire. We at Ghand Parsi are ready to read and analyze this book with you. For more information on this subject, you can contact us.​