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Introduction by ZDJ


 
Abu'l-Fazl Allami’s Ain-i-Akbari is  a chronicle of the Mughal Emperor Akbar’s Court (1556-1605). Originally written in Persian, the work is a gazetteer, administrative manual, and historical account documenting the emperor’s reign. In the preface, the author presents the reader with what he considers to be the ideal embodiment of royalty, his patron, the Emperor Akbar. Abu'l-Fazl also delineates his view of a well-ordered society based on a strict division of duties by ability and rank; it's very similar to Ferdowsi's in the *Shahnama*.

These selections are relatively representative excerpts from the text. Work is now proceeding on the First Book, which deals with Akbar’s regulations concerning his household (the second and third books deal with the army and empire respectively). For more detailed textual and source information, see the *Introduction by FWP*.

Diacritics have been omitted, and some of the explanatory footnotes have been removed or compressed into parentheses or brackets within the text; a few spellings have also been modernized. In general, sections of the text have been presented complete, without abridgement.

There's much more to come,

Zachary David Jones
Columbia College

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== Abu'l-Fazl index page == fwp's main page ==