Babur’s troops defying the enemy at the fort of Qaba

This graphic as well as contextual analysis of the folio deals with Babur’s soldiers in battle with the enemy at the fort of Qaba. Created in the late 16th century CE around the year 1590 CE during the rule of Akbar, the illustration made part of the very first account of Baburnama (or Vaki'at i Baburi/Tuzuk i Baburi). Commissioned by Akbar, who wished to celebrate his grandfather’s memoirs, the manuscript was translated from Chagatai Turkic into Persian by the famous politician and statesman Mirza ‘Abd al-Rahim Khan-i Khanan. It is now preserved in the British Library collection, London, where it has the shelfmark Or. 3714, Vol. 1, folio 23, and is considered to be the most important imperial project of the second half of the 16th century. The artist is believed to be Nand Gwaliyari, who is one of the most well-known artist working for Akbar. Born in Gwalior, he brought his experience in terms of architecture and aesthetics of Central India into the traditional Mughal court style used for this illustration. Nand Gwaliyari was recognized for skills in depicting complicated multiple figures in stories, military defense, and embellishment of fortifications out of stone and clay. His signature method is apparent in the introduction of native architecture elements like fortified walls, local gateways, and walls made of peculiar materials. The drawing depicts the events of the early political activity of Babur in 1494. Following the unexpected death of Babur’s father, Umar Shaikh Mirza II, Babur, who was only twelve then, received the kingdom of Fergana (present-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan). However, his rule was immediately put to the test by unfriendly relatives and enemies who wanted to seize Babur's land. This page presents the fight for the town of Qaba (Kuba). While Babur was fighting against a larger enemy, his generals and brave warriors were bravely guarding the fortress. The scene includes a lot of characteristics of the fight for survival and military discipline during the early period of Babur's life and his future ascent to the power. In line with typical Akbari manuscript painting, the picture illustrates rather steep and high view, thus employing vertical stacking of action images to create an impression of deepness. The distinct diagonal lines of the fortress walls split the image, thus creating sharp contrasts between the defenders and attackers. The fort of Qaba is shown as having solid fortifications made up of stone walls, heavy gates, and watchtowers. The author Nand Gwaliyari makes use of his professional experience in designing and drawing numerous pictures to render reality of the depicted place by using appropriate colors, textures, and shapes. The scene is full of people, who are dressed in the armor typical for Central Asia, headscarves, and helmets. The defenders take perfectly natural poses. Though the characters are common, and the events also seem ordinary, the depicted battle scene is very energetic.