Personal Attributes
No formally attributed likeness of her is known to exist. She was highly educated and well versed in Persian and Arabic, as well as a writer, painter and poet (of some repute).
Jahanara was known for her active part in looking after the poor and financing the building of mosques and wife.
For example, when the Sahibi (a ship constructed by herself), was going to set sail for its first journey (on 29 October 1643), she ordered that the ship make its voyage to Mecca and Medina and "... that every year fifty koni (One Koni was 4 Muns or 151 pounds) of rice should be sent by the ship for distribution among the destitute and needy of Mecca."
In Agra she is best known for sponsoring the building of the Jami Masjid in 1648 in the heart of the old city.
She also made a significant impact on the landscape of the capital city of Shahjahanabad. Of the eighteen buildings in the city of Shahjahanabad commissioned by women, Jahanara commissioned five of them. All of Jahanara's building projects were completed around the year 1650, inside the city walls of Shahjahanabad. The best known of her projects is Chandni Chowk, the central bazaar.
Read more about this topic: Jahanara Begum Sahib
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