An unusual illustration from a manuscript, depicting the travels of the King's wife Mihr dressed...

An unusual illustration from a manuscript, depicting the travels of the King's wife Mihr dressed as a Prince and companions at the Ka'aba in Mecca, Deccan, India, mid-18th century, manuscript on paper, the scene depicting the three worshippers within the hateem, the inner circular wall around the ka'aba, with gold detail to the holy shrine, within a courtyard with arched walls, an entrance gate with watch tower either side below, two lines of Persian in nasta'liq script above, the reverse with a prince, presumably Mihr dressed as a man, on horseback with two attendants, one on camelback, a group of sheep to the foreground and rolling grassy hills to the background, with 5 lines of Persian in nastaliq script above describing the sacrifice of Eid Al Adha,  folio 24.3 x 17cm.; painting 20 x 16cm. 

The Persian text of this unusual illustration refers to the travels of Mihr, the King's wife and her companions towards Mecca, commandments from the King for his vizier, their sacrifice of large amounts of animals and Mihr's circumambulation around the Ka'aba and prayers. Although the text states Mihr is in a state of Ihram she is not shown as such in the illustration, wearing her royal garments rather than the white robes meant to signify that in front of God there is no difference between Muslims of any class or stature.

It is interesting to note that the formidable Empress Nur Jahan (1577-1645) was named Mihr un-Nisa at birth, her later name given by her husband the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Nur Jahan was a very strong and powerful woman obtaining many rights normally belonging to men alone. We do not know if Nur Jahan herself ever made the Hajj nor if this enigmatic text is part of now lost story in which she disguised herself as a Prince and travelled to Mecca but Nur Jahan was not adverse to dressing in men's clothing. A famous painting by court painter Abul Hasan Nadiruz Zaman in the Rampur Raza Library depicts her dressed as a man and holding a gun, her hair tucked up beneath a turban. In 1617, gold and silver coins, which bore her name opposite that of Jahangir, started circulating and a courtier of the period described an incident where she surprised many by appearing in the imperial balcony, which was reserved for men only. She regularly went hunting, issued imperial orders, and designed public buildings, taking measures to support poor women or champion the disadvantaged. In 1626, when Emperor Jahangir was captured by rebels led by Mahabat Khan while on his way to Kashmir, Nur Jahan intervened herself to get her husband released, riding into battle atop a war elephant.