Tārīkh-i safar-i Makkah: A Pilgrimage to Mecca, by Sikandar Begum, Nawab of Bhopal.

This is account of Sikandar Begum, Regent and 10th Nawab of Bhopal (1844-1868), princely state in Central India, of her pilgrimage to Mecca in 1280 AH [1863-64 AD]. It was written in 1284 AH [1867 AD], in Urdu on pale blue filigraned English paper (William 1866) and counts 217 pages bound between...

Full description


Order number: PP MS 55, Durand, Box 2
Date(s) of creation: 1867 CE
Level: File
Format: Archive           
Main author: Sikandar Begum, Nawab of Bhopal (1816-1868)

collection SOAS Archive
id PP_MS_55.01.01.12
recordtype archive
scb_item_location Archive & Special Collections
item_location Archive & Special Collections
scb_loan_type Reference only
scb_order_with PP MS 55, Durand, Box 2
callnumber PP MS 55/01/01/12
callnumber_txt PP MS 55/01/01/12
callnumber-sort PP MS 55/01/01/12
prefix_number 12
scb_previous_numbers MS 257247, (32) 21b
title Tārīkh-i safar-i Makkah: A Pilgrimage to Mecca, by Sikandar Begum, Nawab of Bhopal.
scb_date_creation 1867 CE
scb_level File
level_sort 7/Collection/Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Sub-Collection/Series/Sub-Series/Sub-Sub-Series/File
scb_extent 217pp
author Sikandar Begum, Nawab of Bhopal (1816-1868)
author_facet Sikandar Begum, Nawab of Bhopal (1816-1868)
authorStr Sikandar Begum, Nawab of Bhopal (1816-1868)
author_letter Sikandar Begum, Nawab of Bhopal (1816-1868)
format Archive
scb_admin_history Sikandar Begum (1817-1868), Regent, 10th ruling Nawab and one of the four women rulers of Bhopal (1844-1868), who, against all social conventions of the time and the dangers inherent to such an enterprise, journeyed to Mecca in 1280 AH (between 1863 and 1864 AD), becoming reputedly the first Indian ruler to undertake the holy pilgrimage as well as write an account of her journey.
scb_custodial_history This is the bound manuscript in Urdu of Sikandar Begum's account of her pilgrimage to Mecca, written down in 1284 AH [1867 AD] at the suggestion of Lady Durand, wife of Major-General Sir Henry Marion Durand, the Political Agent in Bhopal in the 1850’s and later Emma Laure Willoughby-Osborne (wife of Colonel John William Willoughby Osborne, who was appointed Political Agent at Bhopal in 1862) . It appears that this copy held at SOAS might be one of the two autograph copies produced by Sikandar Begum for Lady Durand and Emma Laure Willoughby-Osborne, that were reported untraceable or missing until now. One manuscript of the travelogue was kept by Sikandr Behum's successor, Nawab Shahjahan Begum in the Royal Archives of Bhopal and Emma Laure Willoughby-Osborne acquired it from her, in order to translate it from Urdu to English. She completed the translation in 1869 (the year following Sikandar Begum's death) and had it published in 1870 by W.H. Allen & Company (available in SOAS Library Special Collections under classmark EB87.175/165394).
scb_acquisition Acquired in 1970 from the Durand Family together with other family papers, for the sum of £300.
description This is account of Sikandar Begum, Regent and 10th Nawab of Bhopal (1844-1868), princely state in Central India, of her pilgrimage to Mecca in 1280 AH [1863-64 AD]. It was written in 1284 AH [1867 AD], in Urdu on pale blue filigraned English paper (William 1866) and counts 217 pages bound between boards covered in fishscale-patterned green and gold cloth. The colophon page bears two stamps: the personal inked stamp of Sikandar Begum, and the embossed state seal of the Bhopal princedom.
scb_access_status Open
language Urdu
language_search Urdu
scb_scripts_material Arabic (Nastaliq variant)
scb_file_number 12
scb_physc_charac_tech_reqs Manuscript on filigraned paper (William 1866). Bound in board covered by green and gold fishscale patterned cloth.
note 1284 AH
scb_date_description 25/02/2020
hierarchy_top_id_raw PP MS 55
hierarchy_sequence PP_MS_55.0001.0001.0012