Zeb-un-Nissa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zeb-un-Nissa |
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| Shahzadi of the Mughal Empire | |
A portrait of Zeb-un-Nissa. It's currently in Metropolitan Museum of Art
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| Born | 15 February 1638 Daulatabad, Mughal Empire, present-day Aurangabad India |
| Died | 26 May 1702 (aged 64) Delhi, Mughal Empire, present-day India |
| Burial | Sikandra, Agra |
| House | Timurid |
| Father | Aurangzeb |
| Mother | Dilras Banu Begum |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Zeb-un-Nissa (Persian: زیب النساء) was a Mughal princess, born on February 15, 1638. She was the oldest child of Emperor Aurangzeb and his main wife, Dilras Banu Begum. Zeb-un-Nissa was also a talented poet. She wrote her poems using the pen name "Makhfi" (مخفی), which means "Hidden One."
Even though she was a princess, Zeb-un-Nissa spent the last 20 years of her life imprisoned by her father at Salimgarh Fort in Delhi. After her death on May 26, 1702, her poems were gathered into a book called Diwan-i-Makhfi. This book is also known as "Complete Poetical Works of Makhfi."
Contents
Early Life of Princess Zeb-un-Nissa
When and Where Was She Born?
Zeb-un-Nissa's name means "Ornament of Womankind" or "Beauty of Women." She was born on February 15, 1638, in Daulatabad, in the Deccan region. Her birth happened exactly nine months after her parents, Prince Muhi-ud-Din (who later became Emperor Aurangzeb) and Dilras Banu Begum, got married. Her mother, Dilras Banu Begum, was a princess from the important Safavid dynasty of Iran (Persia). Zeb-un-Nissa was her father's favorite daughter. Because of this, she could sometimes convince him to forgive people who had upset him.
How Was Her Education?
Emperor Aurangzeb made sure Zeb-un-Nissa received an excellent education. He assigned Hafiza Mariam, a woman from the royal court, to teach her. Zeb-un-Nissa was very smart and loved learning, just like her father. She memorized the entire Quran in just three years, becoming a Hafiza by the age of seven.
Her father celebrated this achievement with a huge feast and a public holiday. He was so happy that he gave the princess a reward of 30,000 gold pieces. He also paid her teacher, called an ustani, a large sum of 30,000 gold pieces for teaching his daughter so well.
After mastering the Quran, Zeb-un-Nissa studied various sciences of her time. Her teacher for these subjects was Mohammad Saeed Ashraf Mazandarani, who was also a famous Persian poet. She learned about philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and literature. She became very skilled in Persian, Arabic, and Urdu languages. She was also known for her beautiful calligraphy.
Zeb-un-Nissa had a huge library, bigger than any other private collection. She hired many scholars and paid them well to create new literary works for her. They also copied important manuscripts for her library. Her library had books on many subjects, including law, history, and religious studies.
What Was Her Personality Like?
Zeb-un-Nissa was known for being kind and generous. She often helped people who were in need, especially widows and orphans. She also arranged for people to go on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina every year. Besides her love for books, she was also interested in music. People said she was the best singer among the women of her time.
Life as a Princess
Her Father Becomes Emperor
When Aurangzeb became the emperor, Zeb-un-Nissa was 21 years old. Aurangzeb recognized his daughter's intelligence and abilities. He began to discuss important political matters of the empire with her and listened to her ideas. Some historical books mention that Aurangzeb would send all the royal princes to greet Zeb-un-Nissa whenever she came to the court.
Zeb-un-Nissa had four younger sisters: Zeenat-un-Nissa, Zubdat-un-Nissa, Badr-un-Nissa, and Mehr-un-Nissa.
Her Appearance and Style
Descriptions of Zeb-un-Nissa say she was tall and slim. Her face was round and fair, with two beauty spots on her left cheek. Her eyes and thick hair were very black. She had thin lips and small teeth. A portrait in the Lahore Museum matches this description.
She dressed simply and plainly. Later in her life, she always wore white clothes. Her only jewelry was a string of pearls around her neck. Zeb-un-Nissa also invented a type of women's clothing called the Angya Kurti. This was a changed version of a dress worn by women in Turkestan, made suitable for the climate in India.
Her Love for Poetry
Zeb-un-Nissa lived during a time when many famous poets were active, such as Mawlana Abdul Qader Bedil and Saa'eb Tabrizi. The style of the famous poet Hafez Sherazi influenced her poetry. However, she is considered one of the poets of the Indian School of Poetry in Persian.
Zeb-un-Nissa was well-trained in religious studies and faith. She was known as an excellent scholar in many academic areas. She was also a respected literary figure and supported other writers. She sang well and composed songs. She also helped design many beautiful gardens of her time.
Zeb-un-Nissa chose "Makhfi" as her pen-name for her poetry. This word means "Hidden One" in Persian. Her main collection of poems is called Diwan, which has about 5,000 verses. She also wrote other books: Monis 'ul-Roh, Zeb 'ul-Monsha’at (meaning "Literary Compositions of Zeb"), and Zeb 'ul-Tafāsir (meaning "Tafsirs of Zeb"). Zeb 'ul-Tafāsir is believed to be the first and only religious commentary written by a woman. Some sources say her poetic book contained as many as 15,000 verses. Zeb-un-Nissa also encouraged others to collect and translate various important works.
Later Life and Imprisonment
Why Was She Imprisoned?
There are different stories about why Zeb-un-Nissa was imprisoned at Salimgarh Fort in Delhi. One theory suggests that her father, Aurangzeb, began to distrust her. Another idea is that she was imprisoned because she was a poet and musician. Her father, Aurangzeb, had very strict religious beliefs and did not approve of these activities.
The most accepted reason for her imprisonment is that she supported her younger brother, Muhammad Akbar. She wrote letters to him during his rebellion against their father in 1681. When Aurangzeb found out, he took away all her wealth and stopped her yearly payment. She was then held prisoner at Salimgarh Fort until her death.
Her Death and Burial
After 20 years of being imprisoned, Zeb-un-Nissa became ill and died after seven days. She was still a captive in Shahjahanabad (now Old Delhi) while Aurangzeb was away on a trip. Some historical records say she died in 1701, while others say 1702.
Her first tomb was in a garden called "Thirty Thousand Trees" (Tees Hazari), outside the Kashmiri Darwaza in Delhi. Later, when the British built a railway line in Delhi, her tombstone was moved to Akbar's mausoleum at Sikandra, Agra. There is also a tomb in Nawankot, Lahore, Pakistan, but it is not certain if it is truly hers.
Years after her death, in 1724, her poems were gathered and published as Diwan-i-Makhfi. This book contained 421 ghazals (a type of poem) and several ruba'is (four-line poems). More ghazals were added to the manuscript in 1730.
Personal Life
Zeb-un-Nissa never married and remained single throughout her life. She had many people who wanted to marry her.
Her grandfather, Emperor Shah Jahan, had planned for her to marry her first cousin, Prince Sulaiman Shikoh. He was the oldest son of her paternal uncle, Crown Prince Dara Shikoh. Shah Jahan wanted her to become a future Mughal empress, as Sulaiman was next in line to the throne after Dara Shikoh. However, this marriage never happened because Aurangzeb disliked his older brother, Dara Shikoh. The son of the King of Iran, Shah Abbas II, also wanted to marry her. Many other marriage proposals came to her, but she insisted on meeting the princes before agreeing to any marriage.
Zeb-un-Nissa dedicated her life to writing and poetry. She once wrote:
Oh Makhfi, it is the path of love and alone you must go.
No one suits your friendship even if God be though.
Legacy
Zeb-un-Nissa's book of poetry was printed in Delhi in 1929 and in Tehran in 2001. Copies of her original writings are kept in important libraries around the world. These include the National Library of Paris, the library of the British Museum, the University of Tübingen library in Germany, and the Mota library in India. The garden she designed in Lahore, called the Chauburji (meaning "four-towered"), can still be seen today through parts of its remaining walls and gates.
Images for kids
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Zeb-un-Nissa's palace, 1880, Aurangabad.
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Zeb-un-Nissa was planned to marry her first-cousin, Prince Sulaiman Shikoh.
