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Kabul, a Forgotten Mughal Capital: Gardens, City, and Court at the Turn of the Sixteenth Century.
- Source :
- Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic World; 2021, Vol. 38 Issue 1, p113-153, 41p
- Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- Kabul was the seat of Mughal power during the first half of the sixteenth century, and—it is argued here—provided inspiration for the better-known Mughal metropoles of Hindustan. Sources suggest that the topography of Kabul was already well established, along with its major landmarks, decades before Babur made it the seat of his court in 1504. Among these landmarks were three remarkable royal gardens (all Timurid foundations), which performed complementary functions. The one known today as Bagh-i Babur acquired funerary connotations with the burial of Babur's mother there in 1505, if not earlier. The Bagh-i Shahrara hosted the governor as well as distinguished guests, including widowed or divorced princesses and imperial visitors. The Chaharbagh was the seat of the court. Its functional units included residential quarters for the ruler and the harem, a courtyard of audience, administrative quarters, and service provisions. In this study, Kabul and its gardens are compared with Mughal counterparts in Hindustan, and (more briefly) with Timurid Herat and Safavid Isfahan. This comparison contributes to an understanding of the unique position occupied by gardens in the Timurid realm and in the courts of their Mughal and Safavid successors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- SIXTEENTH century
GARDENS
COURTS
MOTHERS
TOPOGRAPHY
GARDEN cities
WIDOWHOOD
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 07322992
- Volume :
- 38
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic World
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 154150552
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1163/22118993-00381P05