jari
Scribe
Posts: 289
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Post by jari on Mar 11, 2012 21:39:26 GMT -5
www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070225/spectrum/book1.htmTHE book is a chequered and prismatic compilation of illustrated writings by specialists in history, numismatics, architecture and art history of South Asia. In a country given to varying shades from light to dark skin tones, identifying an African is no simple a task. With dominant cross-cultural influences, identification of an African Muslim from that of an Indian Muslim is equally challenging. The presence of Sub-Saharan Africans in India is unique, for nowhere in the world a handful of Sub - Saharan Africans ruled over non-African population for so long. References to African elites are available as early as 14th century as reported by the Arab traveller Ibn Battuta. The book elucidates upon the role of the Sub-Saharan Africans as merchants, soldiers, statesmen and eunuchs who rose to prominence in different parts of India between the 15th and 20th centuries, discreetly silent, however, on issues pertaining to racial discrimination and exploitation that surface with the very mention of the African slave trade. The Habshis (Arabic word for Abyssinians or Ethiopians) or Sidis (derived from the Arabic sayyidi, ‘my lord’) are studied in three sections. The first section deals with former slaves who rose to power in quick succession in medieval Deccan during the 15th and 17th centuries. The career of Malik Ambar, the ex-slave, whose presence irked Emperor Jehangir enough to fantasise about killing him, while the Emperor himself is poised atop the globe in a Mughal miniature, makes for a fascinating study. The artistic and architectural legacies of Malik Ambar and his contemporaries are also discussed. The second section deals with the medieval states of Delhi, Bengal, Gujarat and Khandesh, with specific reference to numismatics and architecture, while the section three elaborates on the prominent Africans in the Mughal Empire and the succeeding princely states of Janjira and Sachin. The last three chapters on the representation of Africans, history and present status of the marginalised African population in Hyderabad and intricacies involved in identifying Africans in miniatures, more or less, conclude the process of mapping the African presence in India. In the age of instant communication and multimedia, the simultaneity of word and image is naturally enhanced. This, in effect, has altered the general perception and influenced recent publications, such as this, in approach and layout. More often than not, the text elucidates on the well-produced visuals with an inherent narrative sequence; the tone and tenor of the book resulting in communication through visual correspondences as a tool for instant persuasion and conviction. The book unravels and traces the path of discovery, taking the reader along in the expedition undertaken—a history that engages like a jigsaw puzzle; a history that culminates into the present.
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Post by anansi on Mar 12, 2012 2:07:32 GMT -5
Very good video lecture Jeri,one thing though he stated that India was the only place Africans ruled over non Africans not true,but apart from that I came away with many new information.much thanks.
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Post by anansi on Mar 12, 2012 8:25:37 GMT -5
The island of Janjira (from jazeera, island or peninsula in Arabic) was a formidable fortress entirely surrounded by large walls with 22 rounded bastions. It was also known as Habsan (from Habsha, Ethiopia).exhibitions.nypl.org/africansindianocean/image-page-Deccan-13_31.phpNice link^ on Africans on the Diaspora In 1490, an African guard, Sidi Badr, seized power in Bengal and ruled for three years before being murdered. Five thousand of the 30,000 men in his army were Ethiopians. After Sidi Badr’s assassination, high-level Africans were driven out and migrated to Gujarat and the Deccan. In the Deccan sultanate of Bijapur, Africans formerly enslaved—they were called the “Abyssinian party”—took control. The African regent Dilawar Khan exercised power from 1580 and was succeeded by Ikhlas Khan. The Abyssinian party dominated the Bijapur Sultanate and conquered new territories until the Mughal invasion in 1686.exhibitions.nypl.org/africansindianocean/images.phpThe ornamented “Tree of Life” window is carved in sandstone. Another window represents a smaller tree of life flanked by palm trees and a vine.Muslem Theologians and This portrait is believed to be the Afro-Indian Sultan Burhan Nizam Shah III (1605-1632), who ruled in the sultanate of Ahmednagar, in northwest Deccan
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Post by sundiata on Mar 12, 2012 11:06:28 GMT -5
Thanks for posting Jari. I'm writing a paper about this topic so it's very helpful. Very good video lecture Jeri,one thing though he stated that India was the only place Africans ruled over non Africans not true,but apart from that I came away with many new information.much thanks. Indeed, someone forgot about the Askumite conquest of Arabia or the Egyptian and Nubian conquest of the Levant. The empires of the Western Sahel even possessed a direct system of governing over foreigners by establishing Kundas and appointing the Koreï-Farma to deal with their affairs (including criminal justice). The stuff about Malik Ambar and the like however, is classic stuff! Started actually reading a little about this only recently and it's eye-opening. It especially is a slap in the face to European apologists who try to compare the Islamic slave trade to the Trans-Atlantic (no comparison. Nothing like this would have been possible in New World short of a Haitianesque revolution).
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Post by nebsen on Mar 15, 2012 15:02:40 GMT -5
African elites in Africa was very informative & eye opening. Most of us are aware of Indians in Africa but this history is amazing. I've always felt their was a connection between both peoples altho Indians( at least here in the states) are known to be very racist towards African Americans & other Black people. I think if this history was more widely known they might soften their attitudes towards people of African descent. What really stood out for me is the immense lost accomplishments of African people around the world ! I could tell that the presenter himself was very unaware that Africans could rule out side of Africa with stella achievements in India from slavery to heads of state. It's like the whole world had bought into this myth about African people being inferior , savages, & of all peoples of the world are at the bottom of humanity from the beginning of time till now. It seems that their has been a world wide conspiracy to cover up, lie, distort, the accomplishments & humanity of the worlds first peoples, Africans. This lie, it seems has gone viral among most people of the world including Africans & people of African descent. That,s why I'm so thankful to the Black movements of the 20th century & others of good well that have been re-educating people to the real truth about who we are as a people !
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Post by Son of Ra on Nov 17, 2013 2:29:57 GMT -5
As a person who is part Indian descent(Trinidadian), this really interest me!
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Post by Son of Ra on Nov 17, 2013 2:32:33 GMT -5
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Post by azrur on Nov 17, 2013 2:43:47 GMT -5
wow how did they get all the way to india
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Post by Son of Ra on Nov 17, 2013 3:15:53 GMT -5
wow how did they get all the way to india Pfff...East Africans(Swahili/Somalis) sailed as far to China.
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Post by anansi on Nov 17, 2013 3:20:07 GMT -5
As a person who is part Indian descent(Trinidadian), this really interest me! Eh.eh! Di man a Trini??... well pass di rum and tune up di pan we fi go lime man..hopefully you share some Trini history and culture wid us.
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Post by azrur on Nov 17, 2013 3:27:45 GMT -5
wow how did they get all the way to india Pfff...East Africans(Swahili/Somalis) sailed as far to China. they must be good sailor in somalia there are many old ports big ones but now unfortunately are in ruins
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Post by anansi on Nov 17, 2013 3:27:59 GMT -5
wow how did they get all the way to india Pfff...East Africans(Swahili/Somalis) sailed as far to China. egyptsearchreloaded.proboards.com/thread/152A some what related thread looked like we lost all the pics will try and up date and reload them if possible.
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Post by Son of Ra on Nov 17, 2013 3:28:07 GMT -5
As a person who is part Indian descent(Trinidadian), this really interest me! Eh.eh! Di man a Trini??... well pass di rum and tune up di pan we fi go lime man..hopefully you share some Trini history and culture wid us. Yep... Proud dougla. African American father and Indian Trinidadian mother. But I am embarrassed to say I dont know much on my Trini side but more on my AA side since I was born and raised in the states and so was my mother. But I will try.
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Post by Son of Ra on Nov 17, 2013 3:28:47 GMT -5
Yeah I've seen that thread and many others on the Swahili.
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Post by Son of Ra on Nov 17, 2013 10:46:32 GMT -5
Someone on another site actually posted this, its quite interesting. Razia SultanaRaziyya al-Din (1205 – October 13, 1240) (Urdu: رضیہ سلطانہ, Hindi: रज़िया सुल्ताना), throne name Jalâlat ud-Dîn Raziyâ (Urdu: جلالۃ الدین رضیہ, Hindi: जलालत उद-दीन रज़िया), usually referred to in history as Razia Sultan, was born in *Budaun and was the Sultan of Delhi in India from 1236 to May 1240. Like some other Muslim princesses of the time, she was trained to lead armies and administer kingdoms if necessary. Razia Sultana was the only woman ruler of both the Sultanate and the Mughal period, although other women ruled from behind the scenes. Razia refused to be addressed as Sultana because it meant "wife or mistress of a sultan". She would answer only to the title "Sultan". Razia had all qualities of a great monarch. Reign as Sultan and Death Razia (also called Radiyya or Raziyya) succeeded her father Shams-ud-din Iltutmish to the Sultanate of Delhi in 1236. Iltutmish became the first sultan to appoint a woman as his successor when he designated his daughter Razia as his heir apparent. Razia was the first and last women ruler of Delhi Sultnate. (According to one source, Iltumish's eldest son had initially been groomed as his successor, but had died prematurely.) But the Muslim nobility had no intention of acceding to Iltutmish's appointment of a woman as heir, and after the sultan died on April 29, 1236, Razia's brother, Rukn ud din Firuz, was elevated to the throne instead. Ruknuddin's reign was short. With Iltutmish's widow Shah Turkaan for all practical purposes running the government, Ruknuddin abandoned himself to the pursuit of personal pleasure and debauchery, to the outrage of the citizenry. On November 9, 1236, both Ruknuddin and his mother Shah Turkaan were assassinated after only six months in power. With reluctance, the nobility agreed to allow Razia to reign as Sultan of Delhi. She dressed like a man and sat in open durbar. She was an efficient ruler and posessed all the qualities of a Monarch. As a child and adolescent, Razia had little contact with the women of the harem, so she had not learnt the customary behavior of women in the Muslim society that she was born into. Even before she became Sultan, she was reportedly preoccupied with the affairs of state during her father's reign. As Sultan, Razia preferred a man's tunic and headdress; and contrary to custom, she would later show her face when she rode an elephant into battle at the head of her army. A shrewd politician, Razia managed to keep the nobles in check, while enlisting the support of the army and the populace. Her greatest accomplishment on the political front was to manipulate rebel factions into opposing each other. At that point, Razia seemed destined to become one of the most powerful rulers of the Delhi Sultanate. But Razia miscounted the consequences that a relationship with one of her advisers, Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut, an Abyssinian Siddi (Habshi) slave, would have for her reign. According to some accounts, Razia and Yaqut were lovers, other sources simply identify them as close confidants. In any case, before long she had aroused the jealousy of the Turkic nobility by the favoritism she displayed toward Yaqut, who was not a Turk, when she appointed him to be Superintendent of the Stables. Eventually, a childhood friend named Malik Altunia, the governor of Bhatinda, joined a rebellion by other provincial governors who refused to accept Razia's authority.
A battle between Razia and Altunia ensued, with the result that Yaqut was killed and Razia taken prisoner. To escape death, Razia agreed to marry Altunia. Meanwhile, Razia's brother, Muizuddin Bahram Shah, had usurped the throne. After Altunia and Razia undertook to take back the sultanate from Bahram through battle, both Razia and her husband were defeated on 24th of Rabi' al-awwal A.H. 638 (Oct. 1240). They fled Delhi and reached Kaithal the next day, where their remaining forces abandoned them. They both fell into the hands of Jats and were robbed and killed on 25th of Rabi' al-awwal A.H. 638, this date corresponds to October 13, 1240. Bahram, for his part, would later be dethroned for incompetence. Jamal-ud-Din YaqutJamal-ud-Din Yaqut (also Jamaluddin Yakut) was an African Siddi slave-turned-nobleman who was a close confidante of Razia Sultana, the first female monarch of the Delhi Sultanate in India, and who is speculated to have been her lover. Razia Sultana's patronage made him an influential member of the court, provoking racial antagonism amongst the nobles and clergy, who were both primarily Turkish and already resentful of the rule of a female monarch. Ethnic background Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut lived during the time of the Sultan Iltutmish and then Razia Sultan, sometime from 1200 to 1240 CE, when he was slain in a revolt against Razia Sultan.[1] Yaqut was a habshi. Habshi's were enslaved Africans of East African descent frequently employed by Muslim monarchs in India for their reputed physical prowess and loyalty and as such were an important part of the armies and administration of the Delhi Sultanate. Biography Yaqut rose in the ranks of the Delhi court, and found favour with the first female monarch of the Mamluk dynasty, Razia Sultana. Yaqut soon became a close advisor and was widely rumoured in the court and amongst the nobles to be the queen's lover. Contemporary historians were also conflicted in their assessment — many including Ibn Battuta record that their relationship was illicit and too intimate in public, but others assert that Yaqut was just a close advisor and friend. A particular incident that provoked the rumours was when Yaqut was observed sliding his arms under the queen's armpits to hoist her onto a horse, which was seen as a flagrant act of intimacy. His power and influence grew through his close relationship with Razia Sultana, who appointed him to the important post of superintendent of the royal stables, giving a loyalist an important post and challenging the power of the Muslim nobles and orthodox leaders. She awarded him the honorific title Amir-al-Khayl (Amir of Horses) and later the much higher Amir al-Umara (Amir of Amirs), much to the consternation and outrage of the Turkish nobility. Already resented for being a woman ruler by the Muslim nobles and clerics, Razia's proximity to an Abyssinian slave (considered racially inferior to the Turkish nobles who ruled the Sultanate) alienated the nobility and clerics and soon provoked open rebellion and conspiracy. A rebellion led by Malik Altunia, the governor of Bhatinda (Punjab) broke out against Razia and Yaqut; fearing a siege, Razia and Yaqut chose to go out of Delhi to engage the rebels. Forces loyal to Razia and Yaqut were routed by Altunia; Yaqut was killed and Razia was imprisoned until she married Altunia; however, both Razia and Altunia were subsequently killed in battle against Razia's brother Bahram Shah, who had usurped the throne of Delhi in Razia's absence. Modern influence The speculated relationship between the slave Yaqut and the queen Razia has become famous and a part of folklore in India. The character of Jamal-ud-Din Yaqut was played by the Indian actor Dharmendra in the 1983 Hindi film Razia Sultan, whose plot was centred around the love story of Yaqut and Razia, who was portrayed by the actress Hema Malini. Movie: Razia Sultan 1983
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