Description

“Syed Ubaidur Rahman’s book is a thoroughgoing work of historical revisionism and excavation. It seeks to rehabilitate the Muslim Sultanate of medieval South India into mainstream historical discourse in India, seeking to correct its current marginal status. It is a major work of historiography and it succeeds in the goal it sets out to achieve. The book is divided into five significant chapters dealing with the Bahamani kingdom, the Adil Shahi Sultanate of Bijapur, the Nizam Shahi Sultanate of Ahmadnagar, Qutb Shahi Sultanate of Golconda (Hyderabad), and the Sultanate of Madura (Ma’bar). The chapters delve into significant aspects of the political history of these sultanates, their rich cultural life, their architectural achievements, their scholarly investments and their lasting contribution therefore, to the rich texture of Indian civilization”. Prof Sreelatha Mukherji, Presidency University “From the very first paragraph the reader is launched into the midst of the action, right inside a daily blog drawn from the sidelines of centuries of Deccan history. Syed Ubaidur Rahman tells us the highlights of the lives of all the kings and major players of Bahamani times, the battles and major milestones, as if these were his family, or people he knew personally. Forgotten Muslim Empires of South India is a 1001 Nights’ adventure and Rahman a compelling storyteller.” Prof Peggy Mohan Ashoka University The story of Islam and Muslims in south India is fascinating but underrepresented, long overshadowed by interest in the empires of the north. This book offers a remedy. It provides a concise but comprehensive exploration of a series of lustrous and important medieval Indian states, whose cultural and artistic achievements remain jewels of India’s history”. Pro Jonathan AC Brown, Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization, Georgetown University, Washington DC