Book review
Noor Jahan is one of the most fascinating figures of Mughal India. She showed considerable skill as an administrator and proved to be a shrewd statesman. Jahangir had full confidence in his queen. She received courtiers and held discussions with them regarding the affairs of the state. Royal decrees carried her signature and coins were struck in her name with this super-inscription: By order of the King, Jehangir – Gold has a hundred splendours added to it by receiving the impression of the name of Noor Jahan, the Queen Begum. As observed by Mutamid Khan, a historian, who was Noor Jahan’s contemporary, “Her authority reached such a peak that the king was such only in name”. Noor Jahan was famous for her beauty and wisdom. She was an accomplished poet. She made popular, the rose perfume invented by her mother. She was adept in embroidery, and the fabrics and dresses designed by her dominated the world of fashion for many years. As Abdul Rashid observes, “Fact and fiction have woven a web of romance around this colourful personality.” According to popular legends, from which material for this book has been drawn, Noor Jahan and Jahangir were childhood playmates. But all the available evidence suggests that the two met for the first time at the Meena Bazaar, the royal bazaar held annually at the palace of the Emperor.