THE COINAGE OF MUGHAL EMPRESS NUR JAHAN

The story of Nur Jahan, the daughter of Persian immigrants who became queen of the Mughal Empire, approaches the status of legend in South Asia. She has been the subject of comic books, a Bollywood movie and innumerable tall tales. What has been missing is an accessible biography that explains how a woman came to amass power and influence in a patriarchal dynasty that ruled much of what is now India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Ruby Lal sets out to fill in some of those gaps with "Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan."

Though she was just one of Jahangir's wives, she became his favorite and was often by his side as he traveled his empire. We know that she held a special position, unlike that of any other woman, because she issued royal decrees and coins were minted bearing her name, something done for sovereigns, not their wives. Her rise created tensions in the court and the royal family, which were documented by foreign envoys, who often wrote with disdain about Nur's influence over Jahangir and described him as an alcoholic. Britain's ambassador, Thomas Roe, concluded that Nur "governs him, and wynds him up at her pleasure."

Lal has done a service to readers interested in the Mughal period and the many forgotten or poorly remembered women of Indian history. She has helped shine a little light on an enigmatic character many think they know but few actually understand.

To read the complete article, see:
Mughal Men Ruled South Asia — and One Man Was Ruled by a Woman (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/books/review/empress-nur-jahan-ruby-lal.html)

An Issue in the Name of Mughal Empress Nur Jahan

CNG 88, Lot: 1882. Estimate $3000.
Sold for $40000. This amount does not include the buyer's fee.

INDIA, Mughal Empire. Nur al-Din Muhammad Jahangir, with Begum Nur Jahan. 1605-1627. AV Mohur (20mm, 10.87 g, 3h). Surat mint. Dually-dated RY 19 and AH 1033 (AD 1623/4). Titles of Jahangir in four lines / Mint and date formula in three lines. Hull 1539 var. (date); Friedberg 782; KM 190.2 var. (unlisted date). Near EF. Rare.

To read the complete lot description, see:
An Issue in the Name of Mughal Empress Nur Jahan (https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=193477)

Nur Jahan, Silver Rupee, 11.18g, Ahmedabad Mint, AH 1037, RY 22

The poetic couplet on the coin reads:

Ba hukm Shah Jehangir yafta sad zevar
Ba nam-e-Noor Jehan badshah begam zer

[Coin struck] by the order of Shah Jehangir, [This] gold hath a hundred beauties gained with the inscription of the name of Noor Jehan, the Badshah Begum (Empress).

In the waning years of his reign (AH 1031/22 - 1037), Jahangir lost himself in drink, and allowed his queen Nur Jahan to effectively run the administration of the empire. This coin is tangible proof of Nur Jahan's power, as she places her own name on the coin, although nominally the issuer is Jahangir. Due to Nur Jahan's undue influence on Jahangir and her interference with Shah Jahan's accession, Shah Jahan made it a capital crime to use these coins and ordered them all melted, accounting for their rarity now. Those that escaped the melting pot were deliberately disfigured as Shah Jahan wanted to obliterate all reference to Nur Jahan and remove her name from all sources of records including coins.

This coin is dated in the last year of Jahangir's reign ie AH 1037, and RY 22, with both the dates featuring distinctively and complete on the coin, which is also devoid of disfigurement or any test-marks. Apart from Razia Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, Nur Jahan was the only other Muslim women to feature on an Indian coin.

To read the complete article, see:
Nur Jahan: Silver Rupee of Ahmedabad Mint (http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php?topic=22620.0)

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