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