Tipu Sultan
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Tipu Sultan’s Mission to Constantinople
May 28, 2006
REVIEWS: Chronicling history
Reviewed by S.G. Jilanee
AMONG the Muslim rulers of India, those who had their capital in northern India such as Delhi or even Murshidabad are more widely known than those in the South: Bijapur, Golconda, Hyderabad and Mysore, for example.
Among the latter, however, the names of Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan outshine all others. Haider Ali, son of Fath Khan, “a soldier of fortune,” rose by the dint of his own prowess to become the ruler of Mysore like Sher Shah in northern India.
But it was his illustrious son, Tipu Sultan (1782-99), whose exploits have immortalised his name. Besides being a super-eminent general, he was also a visionary like his father. It was Haider Ali who, side by side with his wars, also conceived the idea of building a strong navy. He entered into treaties with the rulers of Oman and Persia and established a factory at Muscat on the pattern of the East India Company.
Tipu Sultan carried his mission forward both on the battlefield and the diplomatic front with greater vigour. In the latter area, he attempted to extend relations further. Thus, in 1786 he sent an embassy to Constantinople. The embassy’s principal objective was to establish commercial relations with the Ottoman Empire. Another one was to secure confirmation of Tipu’s title to the throne of Mysore from the Caliph and use him for military assistance in the war that Tipu was fighting with the British.
Khwaja Abdul Qadir, one of the two secretaries of the mission, kept a meticulous diary of events on the orders of Tipu Sultan under the title of Waqai-i-Manazik-i-Rum which would translate as “Chronicle of the stages (in the mission) to Constantinople” (because Constantinople was known as Rum among the Muslims).
The book comprises events from the time the mission sailed from the port of Seringapatam up to the point when it started from Basra for Constantinople
It is a rare manuscript which Prof Mohibbul Hasan, who taught history at the Calcutta, Aligarh Muslim and Srinagar universities, with great pains, collected and with greater effort edited, translated into English and published in the form a book under the same title. However, this unique document which was found among Tipu Sultan’s papers after the capture of Seringapatam, comprises events from the time the mission sailed from the port of Seringapatam up to the point when it started from Basra for Constantinople. The remaining portion of the diary describing the journey beyond this point is not available. The Waqai is a rich source of information not only about Tipu Sultan’s commercial and military ambitions and his administrative acumen but also about the Indian merchants settled in the Persian Gulf and their role in the local economic life.
Yet, the Waqai provides invaluable information on the commercial, social and political situation in the places visited. It also describes places such as Basra, Muscat and Kharg Island in great detail. Apart from the prices of commodities, the author has also recorded rituals such as Muharram and the legend of Khwaja Khizr’s combat with a witch. There also are some interesting anecdotes, such as the description of one of the chiefs of the mission, Lutf Ali Khan, wandering through the streets of Basra seated in a palanquin and buying small trinkets.
Value is added by a historical background, which throws light on the contemporary political situation both inside India and in the Persian Gulf. The book is interesting both for the casual reader and the serious student of history.
Waqai-i Manazil-i Rum: Tipu Sultan’s Mission to Constantinople
By Khwaja Abdul Qadir
Edited By Mohibbul Hasan Aakar Books,
28-E, Pocket-IV, Mayur Vihar Phase-1,
New Delhi-110 091 India
Tel: 011-22795505.
Email: aakarb@del2.vsnl.net.in
ISBN 81-87879-56-4
99+168pp. Indian Rs750
