Faruqui Reassesses Aurangzeb Through 6,500 Pages of Mughal News Reports
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 27
Faruqui Reassesses Aurangzeb Through 6,500 Pages of Mughal News Reports
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 27
Summary
More than 6,500 pages of akhbarat in Kolkata helped UC Berkeley historian Munis D Faruqui build a forthcoming history that recasts Aurangzeb and shows how the late Mughal empire functioned day to day.
The Persian newsletters—part intelligence brief, part court circular—circulated in the hundreds or thousands each day, creating a dense information network that linked imperial and provincial courts across an empire ruling nearly a quarter of the world's population.
The archive repeatedly challenged established assumptions: Faruqui found little evidence for widespread religious conversions, fewer hostile references to Sikhs than expected, and a court in which royal women and eunuchs held greater political influence.
One standout figure was Zinat-un-Nisa, Aurangzeb's daughter, who emerges from repeated mentions as a major political actor and a key support for the ageing emperor late in his reign.
Surviving collections in Kolkata, London, Bikaner and Sitamau cover roughly a third of Aurangzeb's nearly 50-year rule, and Faruqui says they are only a small part of a much larger, still underused Mughal archive.
Was Aurangzeb's daughter the true power behind the throne during the Mughal empire's peak?
How did a 17th-century 'internet' of scribes and spies manage one of the world's greatest empires?
Was Mughal emperor Aurangzeb a pragmatic politician, not the religious fanatic history portrays?
Unveiling Aurangzeb: Inside Munis D. Faruqui’s 2026 Evidence-Based Revolution in Mughal Historiography
Overview
Munis D. Faruqui’s new book, 'Aurangzeb ‘Alamgir and the Mughal Empire: A History Retold,' released in May 2026, is set to reshape how Aurangzeb is understood. Drawing on his deep academic expertise, Faruqui uses extensive research into the Mughal akhbarat—detailed court reports—to challenge long-held views of Aurangzeb as a religious bigot. The book builds on earlier scholarship while correcting moralistic interpretations, offering a fresh, evidence-based perspective. With its scholarly rigor and focus on administrative realities, the book is expected to spark major discussions and become a key reference in debates about Mughal history.