Mission

In the late sixteenth century, Abū al Fażl, grand vizier to the emperor Akbar the Great, authored the Āīn i Akbarī (transl. The Administration of Akbar), a comprehensive five-volume administrative report on the workings of the Mughal Empire, Hindōstān. The work detailed the empire’s court proceedings, administrative divisions, geographies, economies, prominent chieftaincies, military recruitment, accounts of provincial histories, and more.

The Āīn i Akbarī Project aims to transform historical data extracted from the Āīn i Akbarī into an immersive and intuitive visual experience. Our mission is to bring the rich information contained within the five volumes to life, presenting it in an engaging and user-friendly format that empowers users to explore, discover, and gain meaningful insights into the fascinating world of the Indian subcontinent during the medieval and premodern periods.

Roadmap

Administrative Data

The initial stage of the project involves mapping the administrative divisions enumerated in the Āīn i Akbarī, namely provinces (sūbē, sing. sūbā), districts (sarkārē, sing. sarkār), and subdistricts (parganat, sing. parganā).

To ensure accuracy and provide meaningful context, this stage involves cross-referencing information with a diverse range of sources, including medieval and premodern texts, as well as the most recent and pertinent scholarly literature in the field.

This is the current stage of the project. Click here to check status.

Charting

The next stage of this project will involve the creation of interactive charts to visualise:

• Revenue

  • By Province (Sūbā)
  • By District (Sarkār)
  • By Landed Community (Zamīṅdār Qaum)

• Measured Land

  • By Province (Sūbā)
  • By District (Sarkār)
  • By Landed Community (Zamīṅdār Qaum)

• Revenue per Measured Land

  • By Province (Sūbā)
  • By District (Sarkār)
  • By Landed Community (Zamīṅdār Qaum)

• Military

  • By Province (Sūbā)
  • By District (Sarkār)
  • By Zamīṅdār Qaum (Landed Community)

Economic Data

The subsequent stage of this project will involve collating and visualising a comprehensive set of economic data, encompassing key sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and trade, to provide a detailed and holistic view of the subcontinent’s economic landscape.

Application Programming Interface (API)

Alongside the main project, we are also developing an Application Programming Interface (API) to be released in the near future. This API will enable researchers and analysts to seamlessly integrate The Āīn-i Akbarī Project’s data into their own code and applications.

If you are interested in utilising the API for your research or analysis, please don’t hesitate to contact us for further information and collaboration opportunities.

Discover More

If you would like to learn more about this project or collaborate with us, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.