Babur-name

Despite the prevalence of the name “Babur-name”, the author himself most likely had the intention to name his work “Wakai” ( Arabic: وقائع , waqā'iʿ “Events”), and subsequent rulers of the Empire called it “Wāqiʿāt-i Bāburī - Book on Türkic language, written by His Majesty himself ” ^[1] . The Iranian name Babur-name appears only later in translations of the autobiography from the Chagatai original into the Persian language , in accordance with the tradition widespread in those days.

The presentation begins with the accession of the 12-year-old Babur in Ferghana . In the first person, Babur, by then already one of the most powerful monarchs in Asia , describes his first steps and failures, including the loss of Samarkand . At the beginning of 23 years of his life, Babur left Ferghana and headed south. He was considering moving to Khorasan . Initially, only 200 warriors accompanied him. Gissar was one of his stops, then he crossed through Kunduz to Kabul in 1504 . Since the local ruler Mukim surrendered Kabul without a fight, he was allowed to leave for his father in Kandahar . Settling in Kabul, Babur distributed to his supporters land in Ghazni , Kunar and Nangarhar . From the very first years, Babur faced the rebellions of the Hazaras in the west and Afghans in the east. From the severed heads of the latter, he built a tower.

The successes of a longtime enemy of Muhammad Sheybani , forced Babur in 1507 to move towards Hindustan through Nangarhar. However, when the threat passed and Muhammad Sheybani left Kandahar, Babur returned to Kabul, where he had a son, Humayun , born in the spring of 1508 .

At the end of 1525, Babur, at the head of the 12,000th army, began a campaign in Hindustan, moving down the river Kabul . Having crossed the Indus, his army reached Sialkot . The largest battle during the campaign was the victorious Panipat battle against the local Sultan Ibrahim . In May 1526, Babur was already in Agra , where he acquired the famous diamond and settled in the palace of Sultan Ibrahim.

Babur in his memoirs appears as a modest, lonely, simple person in everyday life, at the same time Babur in his narrative admits depicting himself in the most evil light ^[2] .

Babur was a highly educated native of Central Asian culture. His notes reflect his interest in the history, life, flora and fauna of the countries visited by him, have great historical and literary value.

"Notes of Babur" already in the era of the Mughals served as the handbook of emperors, translated into Farsi and richly illustrated by the best masters of Indian miniature .

Akbar I the Great , the grandson of Babur, ordered the translation of the work into Persian and illustrated with numerous miniatures.

Interest in the work in European culture began in the 18th century. The first partial translation of “Babur-name” was made in Holland in 1705 by Witsen. In Russia, “Babur-name” was first published by I. Ilminsky in 1857 according to the list, which was acquired by Timur Pilate in 1714 in Bukhara .

To date, the monument has been translated into about 25 languages ​​of the world, including Russian (translation by M. A. Salier , published in 1958 and 1993 in Tashkent ).

In 1970, in the USSR, the book “Bobirnoma rasmlari” (“Miniatures for Babur-name”) was published — an illustrated album in Uzbek, Russian and English (publishing house “Fan” of the Uzbek SSR ).

To the east of Ferghana, the author places Kashgar , and to the west - Samarkand (the capital of the land of Maverannahr ). To the north of Ferghana there are lands ravaged by the Mongols, and to the south - Badakhshan . South of Badakhshan was Kafiristan . He calls the capital of Ferghana Andijan , and the main river is Seykhun . In the vicinity of Ferghana, the mountain Bara-Kuh is mentioned.

Of the cities, Osh and Khojent are also mentioned, as well as Bukhara , Tashkent , Isfara , Margilan , Termez , Herat , Kunduz and Kabul . Describing Kabul , Babur to the north of it places Kunduz and Andarab , separated by the Hindu Kush , to the east of Peshawar , to the south of Afghanistan (with the center in Kandahar ). Kabul is called the intersection of caravan routes between Khorasan and Hindustan . It sells horses, bulls, fabrics, sugarcane and medicines.

Babur calls the main population of Ferghana the Turk, whose language is similar to the language of Alisher Navoi , but Persian-language Sarts live to the west of them. Separately, he mentions the "Turkmen Kipchaks ", Uzbeks and Mughals . Of the peoples living in the vicinity of Kabul, Babur calls Afghans , Aymaks , Pashais , Tajiks , Arabs , Turks , Sarts , Hazaras .

Of the animals mentioned are pheasants , falcons , hens , dogs , geese , foxes , wild boars , horses , kulans , camels , sheep , deer , hares and snakes . Describing the exotic world of Hindustan, Babur calls monkeys and flying foxes .

From plants: tulips , melons , almonds , plums , apricots , grapes , quinces , apple trees , cherries , peaches , pomegranates and cinnamon . In describing the southern countries of the Indus Valley, he also mentions oranges , lemons , bananas, and a date palm. When describing Kafiristan , he describes a pine, cedar and oak .

Describing Hindustan (India), lying on the other side of the Indus River , Babur draws attention to the Kashmir mountains (continuation of the Hindu Kush ), which stretch to Bengal . Beyond the mountains is Tibet . Babur calls the elephant a remarkable animal of India. He also describes rhino , short-legged , nilgau , crocodile ( water lion ) and monkeys ( bandar ).

In Russian

• Compiled by Hamid Suleiman . Album “Miniatures for Babur-name” = “Bobirnoma rasmlari” / Edited by Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR I. Muminov Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR. Museum of Literature A. Navoi . - Tashkent GSP: “Fan” of the Uzbek SSR , 1970. - 160 p. - 25,000 copies.
• Babur-name: Notes of Babur / Translation by M. A. Salier . Total ed. and revision by S. A. Azimjanova . Institute of Oriental Studies, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan . - Ed. 2nd, revised. - Tashkent : Main edition of encyclopedias, 1993. - 464 p. - 30,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89890-060-8 . (Per.)

• Akbar-name
• Jahangir nama

•   Wikimedia Commons has media related to Babur-name
• Babur-name in translation into modern language National Library of Azerbaijan named after M.F.Akhundov, 2011
• Babur (neopr.) . Eastern literature . Date of treatment February 18, 2011.
• Babur-name. Tashkent. Home Edition Encyclopedias. 1992 Preface (unspecified) . Archived on August 25, 2011. Events of 899-900 x (unspecified) . Archived on August 25, 2011. Events 901-905 x (unspecified) . Archived on August 25, 2011. Events 906 g. (unspecified) . Archived on August 25, 2011. Events 907-909 x (unspecified) . Archived on August 25, 2011. Events of 910 g. (unspecified) . Archived on August 25, 2011. Events 911 g. (unspecified) . Archived on August 25, 2011. Events 912-913 x (unspecified) . Archived on August 25, 2011. Events 914-925 x (unspecified) . Archived on August 25, 2011. Events 926-932 x (unspecified) . Archived on August 25, 2011. Events of 933 g. (unspecified) . Archived on August 25, 2011. Events 934-935 g. (unspecified) . Archived on August 25, 2011. Cards (neopr.) . Eastern literature . Date of treatment February 18, 2011.