By Gazi Abbas Shahid

Copyright india

While the relations between India and Turkey have soured in recent times due to the latters support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor Bharat has a storied history with Turkiye including conflicts and skirmishes especially during the reign of the Ottoman Empire. One such remarkable tale of courage is the story of Mughal princess Gulbadan Begum– the daughter of Mughal Emperor Babur and the aunt of Emperor Akbar– who defied the Ottoman Empire.
Who was Gulbadan Begum?
Gulbadan Begum is famous for penning the Humayun-Nama an authoritative account of the life and times of her half-brother Emperor Humayun which she authored at the request of Emperor Akbar the son and successor of Humayun.
While the Humayun Nama is a brilliant display of her impeccable penmanship there is a little known tale about her single-handedly taking on the might of the Ottoman Empire– the powerful Caliphate which ruled Turkey vast swathes of land in Egypt Greece Turkey Romania Israel Lebanon Syria and a large part of the Arabian Peninsula from 1517 AD till its collapse after the first World War in 1924.
How Mughal Princess defied the mighty Ottoman Empire?
According to historical accounts Gulbadan Begum the sister of Humayun and aunt of Emperor Akbar was fond of travelling and would often be accompanied by a large caravan on her travels within the Mughal Empire and other parts of the globe.
As the story goes Gulbadan Begum set off for Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca and upon arriving in Islams holiest city the Mughal Princess who was known for her philanthropy began distributing wealth among the needy and the downtrodden.
At that time the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar was flourishing and had become a powerful military and economic force that dwarfed the might of other mighty empires during the medieval age.
Why Ottoman Empire issued decrees against Gulbadan Begum?
However Gulbadan Begums selfless act of charity drew the ire of the mighty Ottoman Empire which ruled the Arabian peninsula at the time as the Ottoman Caliph did not take it kindly that a foreign princess was distributing wealth among the Caliphates subjects.
Soon the Ottoman Empire issued four decrees one after the other demanding Gulbadan Begum to depart from Arabia. But the courageous princess flouted each one as she continued to freely roam around Mecca and parts of Arabia.
Ultimately a fifth decree filled with abusive language was issued by the Ottoman Caliphate which infuriated Emperor Akbar who then requested his aunt Gulbadan Begum to return to India as he could not bear the Ottomans using such filthy language against a Mughal princess.