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Syad Muhammed Latif Khan Bahad, Agra, Historical & Descriptive with an Account of Akbar and His Court and of the Modern City of Agra, Calcutta: Calcutta Central Press Company Limited, 1896

x + 308 pages including 1 large, folded map of Agra cantonment, city, and environs and 47 black and white full page line drawings; full black leather bound with gilt text at the spine
25 x 16.5 x 2.5 cm

This wonderful volume on Agra is the labor of love of author Syed Muhammed Latif who does not hide his passion for the city of Agra and the Mughals, esp. Akbar. Written in 1896, this book is divided into four parts: historical, descriptive, Akbar and its court, and, finally, a short note on the modern city of Agra. The historical section discusses briefly the dynasties before the Mughals and then notices each Mughal separately. The descriptive section offers copies of notes on the Agra Fort, the Taj, Fatehpur Sikri, Sikandra, and a few other specimens of Mughal architecture. The emperor Akbar and each of his nine jewels are also described individually. The book is illustrated with 47 line drawings of the Mughal dynasty and the principal architectural monuments of the city and its suburbs. Through the book, we find details of the orders, or firmans, and the various engravings that adorn the monuments and graves given in the original Persian or Arabic, and that along with its translations into English. The book was written consulting all the major Persian biographies and works of the Mughal emperors as well as later English sources

Syed Muhammad Latif (c. 1845 - 1902) was one of the most prominent Indian historians from the second half of the 19th century, as well as a respected linguist and jurist. Born into a scholarly family in Delhi, he received stellar tutoring in Arabic and Farsi from an early age and later mastered Hindi, Sanskrit, English, and French. Following his move to Lahore in the late 1860s, Latif became the editor and translator of the Punjabi newspaper. In 1868, he was appointed to the lucrative post of head translator of the Chief Court of the Punjab and was subsequently promoted to become a district and sessions judge. Despite his heavy professional workload, Latif found the time to write. His first book was a work of poetry, Dewan-e-Latif (1870), although he soon turned his energies towards the study of history.

Latif was able to solidly anchor his works due to his fluency in many languages, his superb knowledge of religious and academic texts, his contacts with leading librarians, and his privileged access to historical sites. His writing style was lucid and engaging, enlivened with intriguing vignettes and curious facts, making his books a pleasure to explore even for today’s readers. Other well-known works by Latif include History of the Panjab from the Remotest Antiquity to the Present Time (1889) and Lahore: Its History, Architectural Remains and Antiquities with an Account of its Modern Institutes, Inhabitants, their Trade, Customs, &c. (1892).

In 1902, Latif was appointed to become senior judge of the Chief Court of the Punjab, but, sadly, he died suddenly before he could take up his post. However, he left behind an estimable legacy, as his works remain popular and have been reprinted on many occasions. He also epitomized the trend by which Indian scholars gradually reasserted control over the historical narrative of their own country after a period when Indian history was generally written by Europeans.

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