Sher Shah Sur also built a serai (an inn) in Makkah

It is widely known that Sher Shah Suri built hundreds of serais in India for the comfort of travelers in the 16th century. However, few people are aware that Sher Shah also constructed a serai in Mecca. This information is derived from Zubdat al-Tawarikh by Shaikh Nurul Haq Delhvi, penned during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Shaikh Nurul Haq's grandfather, Shaikh Rizqullah Mushtaqi (born in 1495 AD), witnessed the reigns of Sikandar Lodi, Ibrahim Lodi, Babar, Humayun, Sher Shah Sur, Islam Shah Sur, and others, providing firsthand knowledge of Sher Shah Sur.

The author of Zubdat al-Tawarikh writes that Sher Shah Suri constructed a serai in Makkah which served as an abode for Afghan (Pashtun) faqirs (mendicants) during his era (early 17th century). It seems Sher Shah established the serai to accommodate Pashtun pilgrims. Nearly two centuries after Sher Shah's death, Ahmad Shah Durrani also built a serai in Makkah for Pashtun pilgrims, known as Rabat al Sulaimani to the Arabs. Rabat means serai in Arabic, and Sulaimani was the term by which Pashtuns were known among Arabs. Rabat al Sulaimani was demolished by Saudis in 20th century. 1

 

Related posts:

• Sher Shah Sur's devotion to the welfare of his subjects
• Roads and Sarais (inns) of Sher Shah Suri

 

A late 16th century painting illustrating Sher Khan Sur's capture of Rohtasgarh fort through stratagem

Sher Khan Sur’s capture of Rohtasgarh fort in 1539 A.D. Ascribed to the artists La’l, Dhanu and Khem Karan, leaf from the ‘third’ Akbarnama, Mughal India, circa 1595-1600 A.D.

This skilfully designed painting illustrates part of the Sher Khan Afghan’s campaign against the Sultan of Bengal and against Humayun when he attempted to interfere. Sher Khan Sur was an Afghan born in India who carved out an empire for himself in Bihar and Bengal while Babur was busy expanding his empire from Agra and Delhi. In 1540 Sher Khan, or Sher Shah as he became, was able to drive Humayun out of India and assume the throne at Delhi. He was already the master of eastern India when Humayun marched against him in 1538. Humayun captured Gaur, the capital of Bengal, but Sher Khan had fled into the mountains of south Bihar with the treasure of Bengal and captured the great fortress of Rohtasgarh by the following stratagem:

From the Akbarnama (I, p. 335): 

"When Shēr Khān arrived in the neighbourhood of Rohtās, which is a very strong fort, he sent messengers to Rājā Cintāman, a brahman, the owner of the fort, reminding him of past favours, and after making a foundation of friendship, he represented to him that he was in a difficulty, and begged him to treat him with humanity and to receive his family and dependants into the fort, and thus make him (Shēr Khān) pledged to be his benefactor. By a hundred flatteries and deceptions the simple-minded Rājā was persuaded by the tricks of that juggler. He, a stranger to friendship’s realm, prepared six hundred litters, and placed in each two armed youths, while maidservants were placed on every side of the litters. By this stratagem he introduced his soldiers and took the fort. Having placed his family and soldiers there, he extended the arm of sedition and blocked the road to Bengal."

Inscriptions

 

Inscribed in the lower border: ‘designed by La’l, painting by Dhanu, portrait painting by Khem Karan’ and ‘Shir Khan’s capture of the citadel of Rohtas through stratagem’

On the reverse top left-hand corner: ‘New number 53’, ‘169’ in red at lower left; ‘Taj Muhammad Khan’. The remaining inscriptions seem to be magic letters with two words legible: Medicine (or magic) for health’.

 

Artists

 

(i) La’l

La’l has made brilliant use of the normal Mughal high or birds-eye view perspective allowing us to get a good idea of the vertiginous cliffs above which the great fortress sits. Four of the female palanquins are being borne along a defile and across a bridge leading to the gate of the fortress of Rohtas with beautifully detailed textiles on the tops of two of them. At the bottom, an expectant group of horsemen and a camel- and elephant-rider are perched above the defile awaiting developments. Inside the fortress the attack has already started. The buildings represented inside the fort are not unlike the palace buildings of Raja Man Singh, the Subahdar of Bengal under Akbar (see the aquatints published by Thomas and William Daniell, who visited Rohtasgarh in 1790, in their Oriental Scenery in Archer, nos. 81-3). La’l is one of the principal artists of the late Akbari period. He was extremely prolific and his work is found in most of the great manuscripts commissioned by Akbar between the 1580s and 1605 when he disappears (Verma, pp. 221-31). He and his colleague Dharm Das define the late Akbari style, and it is mostly from variations from the norm that we can discern the more individual artists.

(ii) Dhanu

Dhanu is a rarer artist whose colouring we find in some of the great manuscripts but who was entrusted with solo work only in the lesser manuscripts. Some of his solo work is highly sensitive, see Losty, no. 2. 

 

(iii) Khem Karan

Khem Karan is a senior artist of the whole Akbari period, since he is mentioned as a major artist by Abu’l Fazl in A’in 34 of the A’in-i Akbari, see Verma, pp. 216-19. Although not known as a portraitist, he and the other two artists of this folio also performed the same roles in the first known painting from this third manuscript of the Akbarnama, in the collections of the Maharaja of Jaipur, exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in 1947 (Ashton, pl. 127).

 

Source: 'Court art from India, Persia and Turkey' by Oliver Forge and Brenden Lynch.

 

Daud Shah Karrani as depicted in the 16th century Mughal paintings

Detail from a 16th century illustration from Akbarnama showing Sultan Daud Shah Karrani (Pashtun) wearing the robe of honour given to him by Munim Khan (the Mughal general), after surrendering and signing treaty with the latter in 1575 . 1 

Karrani Sultanate, which comprised of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand at its peak, was founded by Taj Khan Karrani. The latter was succeeded by his brother Suleiman Karrani. Both were previously high-ranking nobles of Sher Shah Sur and Islam Shah Sur.

Karranis (the proper word is Karlanri (کرلاڼي) in Pashto) are a group of Pashtun tribes who are mostly found in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. They include Khattak, Dilazak, Bannuchi, Dawar, Bangash, Wazir, Mahsud, Afridi, Orakzai, Turi, Zazai, Utman Khel, Mangal and few other tribes. The exact tribal identity of the the Karrani Sultans within the larger Karrani identity is not known.

Detail from a 16th century illustration of Akbarnama showing battle scene in which Daud Shah Karrani has been taken prisoner with his hands bound together, in 1576. 2

Khan Jahan (the Mughal general) chopped Daud Shah's head off. The headless body of Daud Shah Karrani was left to decay in Tanda (the capital of the Karrani sultanate), while the head was sent off to Emperor Akbar as a token of Mughal victory.

South or Humayun gate of Purana Qila, Delhi

According to the Persian inscription on the site, South or Humayun gate of Purana Qila in Delhi was completed in the year 950 Hijri (1543) during the reign of Sher Shah Sur by the order of Ghazi Khan Lohani (Pashtun).

Translation of the partially faded inscription:

(1) " The gate of the peaceful valley was completed in the reign of Sher Shah

who is the Taj-dar (the crown-wearer).

(2) By order of Ghazi Khan Lohani who is a loyal well-wisher of the king. 
 

(3) The king has spent an abundance of silver and gold (on the erection of

the gate) so that there may remain a memorial of him through the years. 

(4) It was in the year 950 resplendent made bright."

Lohani (لوحاڼي) or Nuhani Pashtuns, a section of Lodis, are found in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and Lakki Marwat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Abdul Hai Habibi, Abdul Shakoor Rashad (and many others who have followed them) confused Lohani (لوحاڼي) section of Lodis with Lawani لواڼي (a branch of Miyana tribe of Pashtuns) and Lawan لوڼ (a branch of the Panni tribe of Pashtuns).

South or Humayun gate of Purana Qila, Delhi, 1950s.

South or Humayun gate of Purana Qila, Delhi. Photo taken in 1933 by Ram Nath. Source

Backside of the South gate

Shaikh Jamaluddin Kasi (a 16th century Pashtun saint)

Shaikh Jamaluddin Kasi was a 16th century Pashtun saint of Chishti order. A member of the Pashtun tribe of Kasi, he enjoyed considerable respect from his own as well as other Pashtun tribes. In his early life he held a high post in the government under Sher Shah Sur (c.1486-1545). After the downfall of the Pashtuns in India and restoration of Mughals to the throne, Jalaluddin Kasi renounced the world and moved to Unnao (UP, India) where he joined the khanqah of Shah Mahmud Chishti. Later he went to the tomb of Shaikh Badrud-Din of Badaun (UP, India) where he constantly recited Quran and cared for the tomb. In short time he was surrounded by a large number of people. 

Shaikh Jalaluddin Kasi developed the habit of mediating and reciting the Quran until midnight at the tomb of Shaikh Badruddin some distance from the town. These nocturnal habits severely hampered local thieves who operated around this area. They murdered Shaikh Jalaluddin In 1604 AD.

Source: Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: South Asia By N. Hanif, p-175

Ahmad Shah Abdali built a caravanserai at Mecca for Pashtun pilgrims

Ahmad Shah Abdali also built a caravanserai at Mecca for Pashtun pilgrims. It was known as "Rabat i Suleimani". Rabat (رباط) means caravanserai in Arabic. Pashtuns were (are?) known as Suliemanis among Arabs (because of the Sulieman mountains range) so their caravanserai in Mecca was named Rabat al-Sulaimani. It was demolished by Saudis in 20th century.

Ahmad Shah Abdali

Kaaba, Mecca, 1930

Kamal Khan Gakhar defeats the army of Gakhar and captures Sultan Adam Gakhar and his son Lashkari

Kamal Khan Gakkhar (leading a Mughal force) defeats the army of Gakkhars and captures Sultan Adam Gakhar and his son Lashkari. 

A folio from "Farhang i Jahangiri" of 1608 AD. Source

Gakkhar (گکھڑ) is a Punjabi Muslim clan from Potohar.  Kamal Khan was a high ranking mansabdar of Akbar. Sultan Adam was his uncle.

A sister of Kamal Khan Gakkhar was married to Islam Shah Sur.

Baz Bahadur (Pashtun) and Rupmati (Hindu) hunting at night

Baz Bahadur (Pashtun) and Rupmati (Hindu) hunting at night. 

Late Mughal style at Delhi, mid-18th century painting. Source

Bayazid Khan Sur (بایزید خان سور) titled Baz Bahadur ruled Malwa from 1555 to 1562. 

"The painting evokes one of the great love tragedies of Northern India, that of the mid-16th-century Muslim Sultan Baz Bahadur and his Hindu shepherdess Queen Rupmati. The last independent ruler of Malwa, in present-day Madhya Pradesh, Baz Bahadur was a handsome and talented musician and lyricist. One day out hunting he was captivated by a beautiful melody rising over the trees and pursued it to its source in Rupmati, the two falling instantly in love. Overcoming familial objection, their romance blazed for a few short years – said to distract him from prudent attention to statecraft, and ended tragically, on the battlefield, under the sword of Akbar's Mughal general Adham Khan. To avoid capture and risk her honor, Rupmati took her own life with poison. Their story lives on till this day as a key element in the regional identity and cultural consciousness of Madhya Pradesh, immortalized in paintings such as the present lot, which depicts them lost in each other, doing what they loved. "

 

Ehnbom eloquently describes the painting thus: 

 "Here the lovers are shown hunting at night, seemingly more interested in each other than in any quarry. A dark ground gives way to a somber forest and a night sky of deep blue. In the center, the lovers glow as if illuminated by an inner light. A tree directly behind them reflects their effulgence and provides a frame of light-green leaves. The king's robe is a sunny yellow, while Rupmati's garment is of opalescent white. She is heavily jeweled. The lightly tinted horses spot rich tack. They rear up, but so gently that the lovers are not disturbed and continue to stare into each other's eyes." (The Ehrenfeld Collection, 1985, p.76)

The people of Panjshir and Andarab were tributary to Siah Posh Kafirs (of present-day Nuristan) in medieval times

In 14th century the people of Panjshir and Andarab were raided and bullied by Siah Posh (black-clad) people of "Kafiristan" (present-day Nuristan). Siah-Posh "Kafirs" exacted annual tribute from the Muslims of these regions. Upon failure to pay the tribute, the Siah Poshan would slay the men, and enslave their women and children.

When Amir Timur arrived at Andarab, the chiefs of that country came and cast themselves at his feet, asking him to deliver them from the oppression of Siah-Posh Kafirs. This is reported by Zafarnama of Sharf al-Din Yazdi. 

The people of Panjshir (known as Panjhir پنجهیر in medieval times) were under the thumbs of Siah-Posh Kafirs even in the times of Mughal king Babur. The latter writes: " Panjhir is another tuman; it lies close to Kafiristan, along the Panjhir road, and is the thoroughfare of Kafir highway-men who also, being so near, take tax of it. They have gone through it, killing a mass of persons, and doing very evil deeds, since I came this last time and conquered Hindustan."

This drawing of a Siah Posh Kafir is from "The Illustrated London News", published on September 26, 1874.

Panjshir calley

Sher Shah Sur was a Pashto speaker

Sher Shah Sur was a Pashto speaker. Pashtuns in 15th century India were settled as tribes so they were able to maintain Pashto for many generations. 

To encourage the preservation of mother tongue, Sher Shah gave higher salary to those soldiers who could speak it fluently.

Reference: Tarikh-SherShahi, English translation by H.M.Elliot, p-135

An imaginative portrait of Sher Shah

Few instances of veneration of trees by Pashtuns in medieval period

The author of Asrar al-Afaghina (completed in 1604 A.D) reports that in late 16th century a tree became a shrine for the Pashtuns of Swat and Peshawar. Thousands of men and women used to visit the tree and made offerings. An officer of Mirza Hakim (the Mughal ruler of Kabulistan) cut the tree to discourage the practice.

The veneration of a tree could be a leftover of the pre-Islamic religion of Pashtuns. According to the "Ajaib al-Makhluqat" of Muhammad al-Tusi (written in 1160-1167 AD), there was a large tree with circumference of seventeen arsh (?) in a Tamarisk forest of the Pashtun country. That particular tree was known as 'the tree of Brahman' (درخت برهمن) and Pashtuns would prostrate before it.

Chilzina (forty steps) of Kandahar

 From British Library :-

"Chilzina is a rock-cut chamber on the northern side of the old citadel [of Kandahar] and is accessed by forty steps. A Persian inscription at the site reveals that the chamber was completed under the patronage of the Moghul Emperor Babur in the 16th century. The old citadel was destroyed by Nadir Shah Afshar of Persia in 1738."  1

Staircase of 40 steps (chilzina) leading to the entrance of a chamber carved in the mountain, near Kandahar, Afghanistan, 1915. From the album "Afghanistan" by Oskar von Nidermajer. Source

Rock chamber containing the inscription by Mughal emperor Babur, reached by forty steps (chilzina), near Kandahar, Afghanistan, 1915.. Published in the book Oskar von Niedermeyer "Afghanistan" (Leipzig, 1924). Source

Chihal Zina (the forty steps), Kandahar, Afghanistan, 1880. A man selling dry fruits in the foreground. Photo by Benjamin Simpson. Source

Gaju Khan (ګجو خان) at one point served under the banners of Sher Shah Sur In India

The celebrated Yousafzai leader Gaju Khan (ګجو خان) at one point served under the banners of Sher Shah Sur (شیر شاه سور) In India. This information is provided by Tarikh-i-KhanJahani wa Makhzan-i-Afghani (تاریخ خان جہانی و مخزن افغانی) as follow. 

 "Kara had one son, called Kaju (Gaju). The nation of the Yousafzais, which is said comprise nine hundred thousands spears, is entirely subject to his authority. He is said to have met Khwaja Khizr; and to have joined in the rebellion of the Emperor Sher Shah, in Hindustan". 

 

According to Hayat-I-Afghani (published in 1867), when Gaju Khan became leader of his tribe, refused allegiance to Sher Shah Sur.

Imaginative portrait of Gaju Khan 

Khwaja Hasan Afghan (1206–1290 A.D)

According to Akhbar al-Akhyar, a Pashtun by name of Khwaja Hasan (1206–1290 A.D) was a famous disciple of Shaikh Baha-uddin Zakariya of Multan. Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya is reported to have praised him for his piety. 

 

The author of Akhbar al-akhyar, Shaikh Abdul Haq Muhadith of Delhi, was born in 1551 AD during the reign of Islam Shah Sur.

Some of the disciples of Guru Nanak were Pashtuns ?

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was a contemporary of Bahlul Lodi, Sikandar Lodi and Ibrahim Lodi. It appears that some of the disciples of Guru Nanak were Pashtuns, as corroborated by the following anecdote recorded in "Tazkira-i Pir Hassu Teli" of Surat Singh (completed in 1647 AD). Guru Nanak was born and raised in the times when Punjab was dominated by Pashtuns. 

 "When he [Guru Nanak] died, leaving this for another abode, Hindus and Muslims gathered around the Baba's head. 

The Hindus said that he was a Hindu, and thus he ought to be cremated. The assemblage of Muslims desired to make a grave for him.

Two bodies of his thereupon came to view: One they took and cremated; and the other was put in front for the [Muslim] funeral prayer.

 [But] he left both his bodies and went across to the other side of River Ravi. There an Afghan disciple (murid) had the privilege of a sight of him. 

He [Nanak] laid out before him a floorcloth containing a variety of eatables. The Afghan ate his fill from that laid-out meal. 

 The Afghan ate his fill from that laid-out meal. As is the convention of old, he [the Afghan] spoke and cried out about the ordeal of his journey, in soldierly talk that night. 

When that traveller crossed over to this side of the river, he saw the grave and the flames of cremation. He asked, "Why are these people making all this noise"? 

[Someone] replied: "Nanak has passed away from this world!". "The amazing thing is," [he was told,] "that after his death, there came to be two bodies. One is being buried and the other is being cremated".

 [The Afghan] said that both [Muslims and Hindus] have done wrong: "I have seen him well settled on the other side of the river". "I have eaten food and fruits and have talked with him, and I have come to this side after taking leave from him. 

All became astonished on hearing this and the report of his [Nanak's] moving himself to another place became well known. ["Sikh history from Persian sources", pp.88-89]

 

The district and town of Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is named after a 16th century Mughal fort

The district and town of Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is named after a 16th century Mughal fort built by Mughal general Zain Khan Koka (1) for the purpose of subduing Yousafzais. 

Mughal emperor Jahangir in his diary writes : 

"On the other side of the river Kama (2) there is a fort which Zain Khan Koka built at the time when he was appointed to subjugate the Yousafzai Afghans, and called Naushahr (New city). About 50,000 rupees were spent upon it. They say that Humayun used to hunt rhinoceros (3) in this region."[  "The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri", translated into English by Henry Beveridge, p-102].

Notes

1- "Koka" means foster brother in Turki language. Zain Khan was the son of Akbar's wet-nurse and thus received the title Koka.

2.River Kama is river Kabul. Jahangir writes : "The Kama is a river that flows by the qasba of Jalalabad". 

3. Rhinoceros are now extinct in Nowshera. Also read this relevant blog-post

Portrait of Zain Khan Koka, late 16the century painting. Source

Guru Nanak was storekeeper of the Daulat Khan Lodi's grain before 1526

 

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was a contemporary of Bahlul Lodi, Sikandar Lodi and Ibrahim Lodi. He served as storekeeper of the Daulat Khan Lodi's grain before 1526. The author of Dabistan-i-Mazahib (written in 1655), writes:

 "Nanak was a Bedi, and the Bedis are a sub-caste of the Khatris. He acquired repute during the reign of his majesty King Firdaus Makani Zahiruddin Babur. Before the victory of Firdaus Makani over the Afghans, he was a modi (storekeeper) of Daulat Khan Lodi, who was one of the greatest nobles of Ibrahim Khan, the ruler of India. The mystical spirit came over him and acquired power over his heart. Thereupon he went to the shop, and whatever of his own grain and of Daulat Khan he had in the shop or in his house, he gave away, and broke the ties with his wife and children. Daulat Khan was astonished on hearing the news. [But] when he found Nanak to be under mystical influence, he refrained from injuring him". [translated by Irfan Habib].

 

Khwaja Khizr Khan Sarwani

Mausoleum of Khwaja Khizr Sarwani (Sonipat, Haryana, India)

Mausoleum of Khwaja Khizr Sarwani (Sonipat, Haryana, India)

Khwaja Khizr Khan Sarwani was a Pashtun of saintly reputation who was governor of Sonipat (Haryana state, India) during the during the reign of Sultan Ibrahim Lodi (1517-1526 AD). He is buried in Sonipat in a magnificent Mausoleum which was constructed during the reign of Sultan Ibahrim Lodi. According to a Persian inscription on the site, Khwaja Khizr Khan was the son of Darya Khan Sarwani. The latter himself was an influential noble in the court of Sikandar Lodi. Work commenced on the tomb in 1522 and was completed by 1524. It was built on the orders of Langar Khan Khizr who was most probably his relative. The inscriptions read as follow:

"The portico of the tomb of Khwaja Khizr Khan, son of Darya Khan Sarwani – may God have mercy upon both! – was erected on Monday, 15th Shawwal, 928, in the reign of Just and liberal King, who relies on the assistance of the Merciful, Abul Muzaffar Ibrahim Shah, son of Sikandar Shah, son of Bahlul, the King. May God continue his kingdom and reign! "

"With the help of God, who is blessed and exalted, and by his grace, the building of this tomb of the great and noble saint, Miyan Khwaja Khizr Khan, the deceased, the pardoned, son of Darya Khan, son of the Shaikh of Shaikhs Shaikh Ahmad, son of the king of Shaikhs Shaikh Manduki Darwesh Sarwani – may God have mercy upon them,  – muqta (governor) of the town of Sonipat, was completed in the time of the kings of kings, the confirmer of the laws of Islam and the faith, the shadow of the God in both worlds, who trusts to the aid of the Merciful, Abdul Muzaffar Ibrahim Shah, son of Sikandar Shah, son of Bahlul Shah, the King  – may God perpetuate his kingdom and rule – by order of Langar Khan Khizr, on the 15th Rajab – may the honour of this month increase, A.H. 930."

Sarwani is an extinct tribe of Pashtuns who are said to be descendants of Sarwanaey, a son of Shah Hussain Ghori by his second wife Bibi Mahi who was daughter of a servant of Shaikh Batan. Descendants of Sarwanaey were brought up by Bibi Mato and are also grouped under the general name of Mati tribes.

Shaikh Qasim Sulaimani

Qasim Sulaimani was a Pashtun saint of great fame during the reigns of Akbar and Jahangir. He belonged to the Khalil tribe of Pashtuns. Emperor Jahangir suspected him of favouring the claims to the throne of his son Khusrau, and imprisoned him in the fortress of Chunar in 1606 where he died the following year. Sulaimani is a name by which the Pashtuns were known. His grandson Abdur-Razzak wrote a history of the Pashtun tribes which was in the possession of Major H.G. Raverty (Reference: "Notes on Afghanistan", Raverty)

According to Asrar ul Afaghina, Shaikh Qasim was born at Peshawar in 956 Hijri, 1549 AD. [North Indian Notes and Queries, Volumes 1-2, 1892, p-163]

Mausoleum of Qasim Sulaimani at Chunar, 1803's painting.

Shah Tahmasp's advice to Humayun on Pashtuns and Rajputs

Tahmasp I (1514 – 1576) was an influential Shah of Iran of the Safavid dynasty. After getting defeated by Sher Shah Sur, Humayun sought refuge with Shah Tahmasp. Zakhirat-ul-Khawanin (Eng.trans, Vol-I, pp-103-104) records an interesting conversation that took place between Humayun and Shah Tahmasp:

Shah Tahmasp: "Among Indian which class commands the obedience of big tribes, possess princely grandeur and are brave"?

Humayun: "The Afghans and the Rajputs"

Shah Tahmasp: "Are they friendly with each other"?

Humayun: "No"

Shah Tahmasp: "You cannot win the friendship of the Afghans; deprive them of military service and force them to become merchants and artisans. Establish close relations with the Rajputs and promote them, for it is not possible to rule India without controlling the zamindars."

According to Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh, Sher Shah Sur had contemplated to form an alliance with the Ottoman Sultan against Safavid Persia. For this purpose, Sher Shah Sur sent Mir Saiyid Rafiuddin with his letters to the court of Sultan of Rum. (Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh, English transl. Vol-I, pp-480-481.

The painting below depicts the meeting between Shah Tahmasp and Humayun at Isfahan.