Islam in the East - A Bengal AAR
May 30th, 1453
The Sultan's Palace, Capital City Howrah
There is a great discussion taking place in the Grand Council Chamber. Nasir ad-Din Mahmud, Sultan of Bengal, listens intently as his advisors present him with report after report on the status of the Sultanate. His chief cartographer presents him with a map of Bengal and the surrounding lands.
As he looked at the map, Nasir-ad Din could not help but think: My, what a lovely shade of blue my lands are. His thoughts were interrupted, however, by the fanatical Imam, Mahmud Suri. Mahmud was a young man, but he was also extremely zealous and deeply concerned over the lack of the true faith amongst Bengal's populace.
Nasir ad-Din was also also concerned about the situation, albeit for different reasons. He was a descendant of the Turkish warlords who had invaded Bengal over a century ago, and although the ruling class was nearly entirely Muslim, they ruled over a vast Hindu population. Nasir ad-Din was not a deeply religious man, but he was worried that his people resented him. More troubling was that with the exception of his friend Ali Khan in the small state of Arakan, all of the surrounding rulers were also Hindus. Nasir ad-Din did not like to think about what would happen if they joined together to free the people of Bengal from his rule.
The council brought to Nasir ad-Din's attention a very talented man living in Bengal named Hamza Shaikh. There was another man known as Hamza Shaikh, but he was considerably less talented and likely an imposter hoping to profit from tales of the other man's genius. Although it cost him nearly his entire treasury, Nasir ad-Din hired the real Hamza Shaikh and brought him to his court.
Nasir ad-Din himself was a fairly talented administrator, and he wished that he could spend the rest of his days peacefully overseeing Bengal's development. Sadly, Nasir ad-Din's wishes rarely came true.
To be continued.
May 30th, 1453
The Sultan's Palace, Capital City Howrah
There is a great discussion taking place in the Grand Council Chamber. Nasir ad-Din Mahmud, Sultan of Bengal, listens intently as his advisors present him with report after report on the status of the Sultanate. His chief cartographer presents him with a map of Bengal and the surrounding lands.
As he looked at the map, Nasir-ad Din could not help but think: My, what a lovely shade of blue my lands are. His thoughts were interrupted, however, by the fanatical Imam, Mahmud Suri. Mahmud was a young man, but he was also extremely zealous and deeply concerned over the lack of the true faith amongst Bengal's populace.
Nasir ad-Din was also also concerned about the situation, albeit for different reasons. He was a descendant of the Turkish warlords who had invaded Bengal over a century ago, and although the ruling class was nearly entirely Muslim, they ruled over a vast Hindu population. Nasir ad-Din was not a deeply religious man, but he was worried that his people resented him. More troubling was that with the exception of his friend Ali Khan in the small state of Arakan, all of the surrounding rulers were also Hindus. Nasir ad-Din did not like to think about what would happen if they joined together to free the people of Bengal from his rule.
The council brought to Nasir ad-Din's attention a very talented man living in Bengal named Hamza Shaikh. There was another man known as Hamza Shaikh, but he was considerably less talented and likely an imposter hoping to profit from tales of the other man's genius. Although it cost him nearly his entire treasury, Nasir ad-Din hired the real Hamza Shaikh and brought him to his court.
Nasir ad-Din himself was a fairly talented administrator, and he wished that he could spend the rest of his days peacefully overseeing Bengal's development. Sadly, Nasir ad-Din's wishes rarely came true.
To be continued.