August
05
/ 2022
An old man sits hunched over his prayer mat as dawn breaks over the horizon, his white beard soaked from tears shed through the night. No one would believe that this troubled figure is the sixth Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb Alamgir. The year is 1707, and Aurangzeb is nearing the end of his life. In these final days, he recalls his full life, which expanded the Mughal Empire, and writes anguished deathbed confessions to his sons. Aurangzeb’s ascension to the throne had been turbulent, marked by infighting and betrayal. His cruel treatment of his brothers after emerging victorious was used to define his personality. However, is it fair to judge him so harshly for something many before him had done? This
