It all began in early 1576. Princess Gulbadan Begum sat opposite her nephew, the Mughal emperor Akbar, waiting for her turn to speak. The princess was of medium height, with distinctive straight eyebrows over penetrating eyes. She was dressed in a flowing long top over loose trousers, her chest covered with a stole thrown casually over her shoulders and head. Ruby and pearl necklaces adorned her neck.
Gulbadan dressed and carried herself like a woman of great standing. And why shouldn’t she? She was, after all, the daughter of Babur, the revered warrior-king who had conquered Delhi in 1526 and in doing so laid the foundations for the Mughal empire. Bearing the wisdom of the decades she had spent on the move across Afghanistan and India, Gulbadan was now a key matriarch in Akbar’s harem. As for the emperor, he was fully cognisant of her status as a powerful elder. But he hadn’t granted his aunt an audience just to pay his respects to her. Gulbadan had asked for the meeting without revealing the topic.
And when Gulbadan began to speak, she presented something even Akbar couldn’t fathom. She wished to embark on a journey across the seas to the Muslim holy cities, she informed him. That way – through the act of pilgrimage – she would fulfil her pledge to God.
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