Feminine Portraits in Baburnama: A Historical Perspective

Aslonov Ilhom Nizomovich

Tashkent State University of the Uzbek Language and Literature, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Keywords: Baburnama, Historical, Literary Heritage, Timurid Princesses, Artistic Psychological Image.

Abstract: The "Baburnama" offers a rich repository of insights into Babur's life and the literary milieu of his era.

Through this text, one can meticulously piece together the biographies of renowned poets who thrived in

Central Asia during that period, contributing to Persian and Turkish poetry. The narrative within the book

unfolds a vivid tableau of Babur's contemporaries, featuring statesmen, artists, musicians, and historians.

Notably, the article hones in on the Timurid princesses closely associated with Babur, providing a direct

glimpse into their relationships with him. The princesses, intricately portrayed in the "Baburnama," serve as

key figures, shedding light on their roles and connections in the historical and cultural tapestry of the time.

1 INTRODUCTION

The "Baburnama" as a historical and literary heritage

holds the attention of world scientists. The richness

and variety of materials, language, and style of the

work surpass any historical chronicle compiled by the

palace chroniclers of that period. Therefore, it is not

surprising that this work and its world have attracted

the attention of scholars at different times. We can say

that the "Baburnama" depicts Babur’s activities,

successful and unsuccessful military campaigns, all

the twists and turns of a rich adventurous life. The

history of the creation of the "Baburnama" is

unknown. According to his daughter Gulbadanbegim

in her book "Humayunnama," in India, there was a

tower in a garden in Sikri, and Babur tended to write

a book on top of it.

One of the most important aspects of Zahiruddin

Muhammad Babur’s personality is honesty. He writes

truthfully about historical figures, the palace

environment, events, and even his character. In

evaluating his contemporaries, he is responsible and

demanding, and speaks openly about shortcomings.

The "Baburnama" contains a wealth of

information about Babur himself and the literary

environment in which he lived. Based on this

information, it is possible to reconstruct the

biographies of many famous poets of that time who

lived in Central Asia and wrote poems in Persian and

Turkish. The book depicts a number of the poet’s

contemporaries, statesmen, artists, musicians, and

historians. The following is a list of Timurid

princesses who were close to Babur and knew him

directly.

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

One of the characteristics of the Timurid state is the

attitude towards women. After all, women also had a

great position. This quality is also evident in the

example of Babur. Each "khanim" and "begim" had

property, a residence, a share in the treasury, and

servants who performed various services. Faqihs,

judges, sheikhs, and dignitaries have, in some cases,

taken their views into account. Even Babur says that

his great-grandmother Aisan-daulat Begim had an

army of Mongols personally belonged to. (I. A.).

Some research has been done in recent years, but

it is worthwhile to study this issue in a monograph. In

particular, the Kyrgyz scholar Asilbek Aliyev, in his

article "The attitude of the founder of the Great

Mongol dynasty to women (based on 'Baburnama'),"

focuses on the various data, characteristics, and

evaluations it provides. This material will help to

make serious corrections to the common beliefs about

women in the Middle East and to supplement the

information about Babur's identity.

In "Baburnama," the opinions of kings, sultans,

khans, mirzas, in particular, Umar Shaikh Mirza,

Yunas Khan and Sultan Ahmad Mirza, Sultan

Mahmud Mirza, Husain Baikara in the chapter

"Avlodi" and "Khavotin va sarori" data are given. In

this chapter, women are listed by name, and

1080

Nizomovich, A.

Feminine Portraits in Baburnama: A Historical Perspective.

DOI: 10.5220/0012952500003882

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR-2 2023), pages 1080-1084

ISBN: 978-989-758-723-8

comments, brief, and concise analyzes are given, in

which Babur emphasizes the complex palace life of

his time and makes new remarks.

3 ANALYSIS

Babur’s mother, Kutluk Nigar Khanim, is mentioned

in thirteen places in the "Baburnama." She is depicted

as the most common image of a woman in the book,

referred to as "mother," "my mother," "Khanim

mother," "my Khanim mother," and others. Summing

up all the plots about Kutluk Nigar Khanim, the

following information emerges: she is Yunas Khan’s

and Aisan-daulat Begim’s second daughter. A

devoted mother to her son Babur, she is portrayed as

a weak mother who sought to join her brothers when

the time came but "saw no mercy and compassion."

She found refuge and protection in the only tent of the

king's son without a throne. Through her efforts, she

married Babur to the daughters of his relatives, Aisha

Sultanbegim and Zaynab Sultanbegim, and like her

son, she "had many worries" and "did not receive

much reward." Kutluk Nigar Khanim passed away at

the foot of the mountain in the garden built by the

wise king Ulugbek Koragon, known as "Garden

Navruz," where Babur gave a thousand coins to the

owners of the garden, as noted by Gulbadanbegim in

"Humayunname." These portrayals reveal one aspect

of Babur’s personality: his spiritual virtue, the ability

to find a suitable situation for his mother in any

circumstance, even during unstable times, and the

dedication to fulfilling his mother’s rights with

compassion. This particular quality of Babur holds

significant educational value - Gramota.net (2012).

One of the princesses mentioned in the

"Baburnama" is Babur’s maternal grandmother,

Aisan Daulat Begim, who later became the wife of

Yunas Khan, the governor of Tashkent and Sayram.

Wise and kind, Aisan Daulat Begim took an active

part in governing the kingdom.

In "Baburnama," information about Aisan Daulat

Begim begins with the details of her marriage to

Babur’s grandfather, Yunas Khan. "At those times,

Sher Haji Beg, the eldest of the Sagri princes, took the

opportunity to marry his daughter, Aisan Daulat

Begim. With the help of the Mongols, the khan and

Aisan Daulat Begim were seated on a white felt and

made khans.

Babur elaborates on the daughters of Aisan Daulat

Begim: his mother and aunts. "The Khan had three

daughters from Aisan Daulat Begim. Mihr Nigar

Khanim was the eldest, Sultan Abusaid Mirza set her

aside for his eldest son, Sultan Ahmad Mirza; she had

no child. … Kutluk Nigar Khanim, my mother, was

Yunas Khan’s second daughter. She was with me in

most of my guerrilla expeditions and throneless

times. She went to God’s mercy in five or six months

after the capture of Kabul, nine hundred and eleven.

Khub Nigar Khanim was his third daughter. She was

given to Muhammad Husain Kurkan Duglat. She had

one son and one daughter by him.

Babur consistently speaks about Aisan Daulat

Begim with deep respect and reverence, showcasing

his sincere love for his grandmother. While

acknowledging the woman’s human qualities,

intelligence, and wisdom, Babur’s deep respect for

her is evident. "Among the women’s, my great-

grandmother, Aisan Daulat Begim, was very

intelligent and polite. Her advice had always been

needed." - Rajabova, Burobiya (2013).

Another event highlighting Babur’s high belief

and love for his grandmother is one of his most

important decisions to explain his choice to leave

Samarkand voluntarily. He summoned his teacher

Khoja Mavlono and Aisan Daulat Begim. He said,

"Such letters! So anxious, so beseeching, coming

from my mothers, that is from my own and hers,

Aisan Daulat Begim, and from my teacher and

spiritual guide, that is, Khwajai Maulanai Kazi, with

what heart would a man not move? We left

Samarkand for Andijan on a Saturday in Rajab." -

Rajabova Burobiya (2013).

Another fact is that one of the people Babur

directly trusted, advised, and relied on in his life was

Aisan Daulat Begim. This is evident when, after a

long siege, he left Samarkand for Shaibanikhan.

Aisan Daulat Begim first stayed in the city and later

joined Babur when his sister Khanzodabegim was

married to Shaibanikhan. He left Samarkand with his

relatives and soldiers. Babur does not disclose the real

reason for this due to his pride and stubbornness. In

fact, Aisan Daulat Begim held the wedding of her

granddaughter Khonzodabegim (of course, with

Babur’s mind (I.A.) and then left Samarkand -

Zakhiriddin Mukhammad (1989).

"A few days later, my grandmother, Aisan Daulat

Begim, who, when I left Samarkand, had stayed

behind, arrived with our families and baggage and a

few lean and hungry followers."

Mirza Muhammad Khaydar’s "History of

Rashidi" referred to the high courage and bravery of

Aisan Daulat Begim. The incident is related to the

arrest of Tashkent by Sheikh Jamal, nicknamed

"Khar," Yunas Khan, and his imprisonment in the

basement for a year. At that time, the khan’s harem

was also in Tashkent. As a result, Yunas Khan’s three

daughters were given to Abu Said’s three sons. Yunas

Feminine Portraits in Baburnama: A Historical Perspective

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Khan’s wife, Aisan Daulat Begim, was sentenced by

Sheikh Jamal to one of his beys, Khoja Kalon. Aisan

Daulat Begim obeyed the verdict, and at night she

greeted Khoja Kalon with humility and beat him to

death with a stick.

In practice, Aisan Daulat Begim sentenced herself

to death and preferred death to humiliation and

shame. The honor and dignity of Aisan Daulat

Begim’s husband and children were above all. Sheikh

Jamal Har finds out what happened and interrogates

Aisan Daulat Begim. During the interrogation, she

proudly stood up and said that she was still Yunas

Khan’s wife and that this was not in accordance with

Muslim law. Seeing this, Sheikh Jamal Khar

abolished the punishment and sent Aisan Daulat

Begim to prison with her husband Yunas Khan.

Such courage and will are rare among princesses,

and in most cases, the fate of princesses has been to

submit to fate - Zakhiriddin Mukhammad (1989).

Khonzoda Begim, the daughter of Umar Sheikh

Mirza (1456–1494) and sister of Zahiriddin

Muhammad Babur Mirza, was born in 1478 in

Andijan. According to historical sources, Khonzoda

Begim was intelligent and sharp-witted. When she

reached puberty, her father Umar Sheikh Mirza

accidentally fell from a cliff and died. This event

marked the beginning of the fate of 12-year-old

Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur Mirza, who ascended

the throne.

Young Babur Mirza, desiring to seize the throne

of his ancestor Amir Temur, conducted several

military expeditions to Samarkand. In 1501, he finally

captured Samarkand. However, Shaibanikhan

withdrew his army and besieged the city, leading to

famine and death. Many of Babur Mirza's people fled

the city, and he became too weak to break through the

siege. In this dire situation, Shaibanikhan proposed a

truce. Babur Mirza, in his famous work

"Baburnama," described this event, stating,

"Meantime, Shaibanikhan interjected talk of peace, if

there had been hope or food from any side. It had to

be a sort of peace was made, and we took our

departure from the town, by the Shaikhzada’s Gate,

somewhere about midnight. I took my mother

Khanum out with me. Two other women folk went

too, one was Bishka Khalifa, the other, Minglik

Kukuldash. At this exodus, my elder sister, Khanzada

Begim fell into Shaibanikhan’s hands" - Rajabova

Burobiya (2013).

However, Babur's statement that "At this exodus,

my elder sister, Khanzada Begim fell into

Shaibanikhan’s hands" does not align with the actual

situation. In reality, according to the terms of the

truce, Shaibanikhan proposed to Babur Mirza that he

marry Khanzada. If Babur Mirza agreed, he would

allow him to safely take his harem out of Samarkand.

Gulbadan Begim, the daughter of Babur Mirza,

corroborated this version in her book

"Humayunnama," stating, "At that time, Shohibek

(Shaibanikhan) khan said, if you give Khanzoda

begim to me as a wife, a truce will be made between

us and a bond of solidarity will be established. In the

end, Khanzoda begim was given to khan and they had

to return." Haydar Mirza, the author of "Tarixi

Rashidiy," also affirmed this account, noting that "he

had no choice but to make peace with Shaibanikhan

and gave his sister to him as a wife."

An article by R. Shamsutdinov and M. Abdullaev

in 2008, titled "On the lost pages of the Baburnama"

("The Role of Babur and the Baburids in the history

of world culture"), mentioned that Khanzoda Begim

was later married to a man named Sayyid Hodi.

However, their marriage did not last long, and

Khanzoda Begim's marriage to Mahdi Khoja was

cited as a historical fact.

The historical reality, as indicated by the written

sources, is that Khonzoda Begim, born in 1478,

married Shaibanikhan in Samarkand under the terms

of a peace treaty concluded between Babur and

Shaibanikhan in August 1501. From this marriage,

Khurramshah was born in May 1502. Three or four

years later, Shaibanikhan divorced Khanzada Begim

on suspicion of poisoning her. Following the divorce,

Shaibanikhan agreed to marry his widow's cousin,

Sayyid Hadikhoja bin Murtazakhoja. Sayyid

Hodikhoja was both the son of Shaibanikhan and a

brave emir who was 50 years old at that time.

Khanzada Begim was 28 years old. On November 15,

1506, Shaibanikhan conquered Balkh and appointed

his talented son Khurramshah as the governor of

Balkh and its provinces.

About Khurramshah, the Central Asian historian

wrote in the work "Musakhhir il-bilod": "When his

father was under the siege of Marv, Khurramshah was

the first to rush to his father's aid with the army of

Balkh… After his father left the world with

martyrdom, Khurramshah also hurried to the

hereafter. There was no descendant from

Khurramshah."

Due to her ingenuity and entrepreneurship,

Khanzada Begim earned high regard among the

queens of the palace. Both Khanzada Begim and her

heir to the throne, Humayun, served as advisers in the

royal palace. Khanzada Begim passed away in 1544

in a place called Kabulhaq and was later brought to

Kabul, where she was buried in the tomb of

Baburshah three months after her death.

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Khadija Beg was the beloved wife of Sultan

Husein Mirza Baykara. Born in Herat in 1451,

Khadijah Begim was one of the original maids

presented to Sultan Abu Sayid Mirza in 1457 when

he took Herat. In 1465, Sultan Abu Sayid Mirza

married Khadija Begim. After the death of Sultan

Abu Sayid Mirza in Iraq, Sultan Husein Mirza

Baykara, who ascended the throne of Herat, saw

Khadijah in the harem of the late Sultan Abu Sayid

Mirza and fell in love with her.

Khadija Begim was a young, beautiful, attractive,

light-skinned woman, but she was also prone to

darkness and deceit. Babur wrote about Khadija: "She

took herself for a sensible woman but was a silly

chatterer, may also have been a heretic." In fact, with

her charming and insidious compliments, Khadija

soon conquered Sultan Husein Baykara and took the

place of the great princess in the harem. Sultan

Husein Baykara's wives and concubines had 14 sons

and 11 daughters. Shahgarib Mirza and Muzaffar

Husein Mirza were born from Khadija.

Khadijah Begim was eager to elevate her son, the

noble and ambitious Muzaffar Hussein Mirza, above

all the sons of the Sultan. She used various tricks to

provoke conflicts between father and son, leading to

bloody battles. Sultan Husein Baykara became

increasingly vulnerable to Khadija Begim's tricks and

did not show much courtesy to his sons apart from

Muzaffar Husein Mirza, putting him in danger.

Khadija initiated a secret operation to appoint her son

Muzaffar Husein Mirza as the successor, despite

custom dictating that the throne belonged to the

Sultan's eldest son, Badiuz-Zaman Mirza.

Although Sultan Husein Baykara did not hold

much affection for Badiuz-Zaman Mirza, he had to

please him as the throne rightfully belonged to him.

Most courtiers, led by Alisher Navoi, considered the

11-year-old son of Badiuz-Zaman Mirza, Mumin

Mirza (1486–1497), worthy of the throne, openly

expressing their views to the Sultan. Naturally, such

speculations among the archon state did not leave

Khadija Begim indifferent.

In the spring of 1497, the Sultan marched against

Hisar. According to the Sultan's decree, Badiuz-

Zaman, who ruled in Astrobod, replaced his son

Muhammad Mumin Mirza and joined his father's

army. After the battle, Sultan Husein appointed

Badiuz-Zaman Mirza, son of Baykara, governor of

the Balkh province, and his beloved son Muzaffar

Husein Mirza governor of Astrobod. This decree was

significant for Badiuz-Zaman Mirza, who wanted to

give Astrobod to his son Mumin Mirza. Thus, a

conflict arose, leading to a bloody confrontation

between the Sultan and Badiuz-Zaman Mirza on May

2, 1497. Badiuz-Zaman's army was crushed, and

Muzaffar Husayn Mirza's army captured Astrobod,

bringing Muhammad Mumin Mirza to Herat and

imprisoning him at Ikhtiyariddin’s fortress.

Khadija Begim, who had been waiting for a long

time, took advantage of the Sultan's drunkenness in

the presence of Minister Nizam-ul-Mulk at the

Murgab military base to seal the order for the

immediate execution of Muhammad Mumin Mirza,

and the sentence was carried out that night.

In April 1506, Sultan Husein Baykara died. Due

to Khadija Begim’s short-sighted interference in the

kingdom's affairs, two princes, Badiuz-Zaman Mirza

and Muzaffar Husein Mirza, ascended the throne.

When Shaibanikhan attacked Khurasan, the two

princes resided in two districts - Badiuz-Zaman in

Kararabat and Muzaffar Husein Mirza in Tarnob.

From the first blow, the two princes fled to Turkey

via both sides - Badiuz-Zaman to Kandahar and

Muzaffar Hussein Mirza to Astrobod. The defense of

Herat was entrusted to three or four incompetent

individuals, led by Khadija. Shaibanikhan easily

captured Herat. Khadija Begim lived under house

arrest without leaving Herat. In 1509, upon hearing

that her son Muzaffar Husein Mirza was in Astrobod,

she went to see him with the permission of Jon Vafo

Mirza, appointed governor of Herat by Shaibanikhan.

When Khadija arrived in Astrobod, her son Muzaffar

Husayn Mirza fell ill and was on his deathbed. He

would die soon. After offering condolences to her

son, Khadija returned to Herat - Hazratkulova, E.

(2019).

In the Baburnama, an incident that greatly

"impressed" Babur is related to Zuhra Begi agha, the

mother of Sultan Ali Mirza. As Shaibanikhan

conquered Bukhara and approached Samarkand,

Zuhra Begi agha, either by her own will or deceived

by traitorous princes, (… Abu Yusuf Arghun must

have known of this plan; indeed, he will have been

the traitor inventing it (Babur 1989) made a plan to

hand over Samarkand to him, risking her son’s future.

“When we had been a few weeks in Kesh, news came

that Sultan Ali Mirza had given Samarkand to

Shaibanikhan. The particulars are these. The Mirza’s

mother, Zuhra Begi agha, in her ignorance and folly,

had secretly written to Shaibanikhan that if he would

take her (to wife), her son should give him Samarkand

and that when Shaibanikhan had taken (her son’s)

father’s country, he should give her son a country”…

“As for that calamitous woman who, in her folly, gave

her son’s house and possessions to the winds to get

herself a husband, Sheibanikhan cared not one atom

for her, indeed did not regard her as the equal of a

mistress or a concubine.”

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4 CONCLUSION

The more Babur appreciates the positive qualities in

people, especially women, the more strongly he

condemns their negative qualities. To his evident

embarrassment, Babur openly expresses his anger and

hatred. In the words of his mother, he writes about the

situation of Sultan Ali Mirza, who lost his wife: “The

story of this man cannot be over. This glorious

movement cannot be heard anymore” - Rajabova

Burobiya (2013).

In the "Baburnama," Babur describes the image of

about sixty women to varying degrees, based on the

nature of their work. These images and their attitudes

are also crucial in defining some aspects of Babur’s

character. Babur strives to be objective in presenting

the images of the women he describes, using a

historical-comparative method.

Research in this area will provide an opportunity

to clarify the many historical facts and issues that

await a solution.

REFERENCES

Hazratkulova, E. (2019). The image Ehsan Davlatbek in

"Babur-name." ISJ Theoretical & Applied, 12, 180-

183.

Babur, Zakhiriddin Mukhammad. (1989). Baburnama.

Tashkent: Star.

Rajabova, Burobiya. (2013). Wise and prudent mothers. Art

and Literature of Uzbekistan Magazine, No.23, 57-59.

Gramota.net. (2012). Materials for the journal "Issues of

Psychology."

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