Abdul Hamid Lahori
Encyclopedia
Abdul Hamid Lahori was a traveller and historian during the period of Shah Jahan
who later became a court historian of Shah Jahan
. He wrote the book Padshahnama also referred as Badshahnama, about the reign of Shah Jahan
. He has described Shah Jahan
's life and activities during the first twenty years of his reign in this book in great detail.
In his own preface to the text, Lahori mentions that he called from his retirement in Patna
to write official history as the Emperor wanted someone who could emulate the style of Akbarnama
of Abul Fazl which he too greatly admired. Lahori could only finish the first two sections, from 1037/1627 to 1047/1637 and 1047/1637 to 1057/1647, thus he final section was completed by one of his pupils.
Abdul Hamid Lahori calls the glass pieces of the Shish Mahal of the Agra Fort
as glass pieces "shishye halabi" because Haleb was the original name of Aleppo (Syria
) which was the main centre for manufacturing these glasses.
He was a good scholar. He also had good knowledge of science and astronomy. Abdul Hamid was called Lahori because he was from Lahore
, Punjab
in modern Pakistan
.
Lahori also wrote about the Shalimar Gardens
in detail.
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
who later became a court historian of Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
. He wrote the book Padshahnama also referred as Badshahnama, about the reign of Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
. He has described Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
's life and activities during the first twenty years of his reign in this book in great detail.
Biography
Not much is known about the biographical details about Abdul Hamid Lahori, except from Amai-i Salih of Muhammad Salih, another court writer, who mentions his date of death to be 1065 A.H. (1654 AD).In his own preface to the text, Lahori mentions that he called from his retirement in Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
to write official history as the Emperor wanted someone who could emulate the style of Akbarnama
Akbarnama
The ' , which literally means Book of Akbar, is the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor , commissioned by Akbar himself and written in Persian by his court historian and biographer, Abul Fazl who was one of the nine jewels in Akbar's court...
of Abul Fazl which he too greatly admired. Lahori could only finish the first two sections, from 1037/1627 to 1047/1637 and 1047/1637 to 1057/1647, thus he final section was completed by one of his pupils.
Abdul Hamid Lahori calls the glass pieces of the Shish Mahal of the Agra Fort
Agra Fort
Agra Fort, is a monument situated at Agra, is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is about 2.5 km northwest of its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal...
as glass pieces "shishye halabi" because Haleb was the original name of Aleppo (Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
) which was the main centre for manufacturing these glasses.
He was a good scholar. He also had good knowledge of science and astronomy. Abdul Hamid was called Lahori because he was from Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
in modern Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Lahori also wrote about the Shalimar Gardens
Shalimar Gardens (Lahore)
The Shalimar Gardens , sometimes written Shalamar Gardens, is a Persian garden and it was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in Lahore, modern day Pakistan. Construction began in 1641 CE and was completed the following year...
in detail.
Work Online
- Bádsháh-Náma of 'Abdu-L Hamíd Láhorí Packard Humanities InstitutePackard Humanities InstituteThe Packard Humanities Institute is a non-profit foundation, established in 1987, and located in Los Altos, California, which funds projects in a wide range of conservation concerns in the fields of archaeology, music, film preservation, and historic conservation, plus Greek epigraphy , with an...
External links
- Illustrations from the Padshahnama at Royal CollectionRoyal CollectionThe Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. It is property of the monarch as sovereign, but is held in trust for her successors and the nation. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 150,000 old master prints, as well as historical...
- King of the World - The Padshahnama at University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
- http://www.indianresurgence.com/history5.htm]