page_title: Zeb-un-Nissa
section_title: Education and accomplishments
hierarchical_section_title: Zeb-un-Nissa / Early years / Education and accomplishments
caption_attribution_description: English: Princess Zeb-un-Nissa - watercolour by Abanindranath Tagore, c.1921
context_page_description: Zeb-un-Nissa was a Mughal princess and the eldest child of Emperor Aurangzeb and his chief consort Dilras Banu Begum. She was also a poet, who wrote under the pseudonym of "Makhfi". Imprisoned by her father in the last 20 years of her life at Salimgarh Fort, Delhi, Princess Zeb-un-Nissa is remembered as a poet, and her writings were collected posthumously as Diwan-i-Makhfi.
context_section_description: Aurangzeb charged Hafiza Mariam, one of the women of the court, with the education of Zeb-un-Nissa. She seems to have inherited her father's keenness of intellect and literary tastes because Zeb-un-Nissa memorized the Quran in three years and became a Hafiza at age seven. This occasion was celebrated by her father with a great feast and public holiday. The princess was also given a reward of 30,000 gold pieces by her delighted father. Aurangzeb paid the princely sum of 30,000 gold pieces to the ustani bi for having taught his cherished daughter well.
  Zeb-un-Nissa then learned the sciences of the time with Mohammad Saeed Ashraf Mazandarani, who was also a great Persian poet. She learned philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, literature, and was a mistress of Persian, Arabic and Urdu. She had a good reputation in calligraphy as well. Her library surpassed all other private collections, and she employed many scholars on liberal salaries to produce literary works at her bidding or to copy manuscripts for her. Her library also provided literary works on each subject, such as law, literature, history and theology.
  Zeb-un-Nissa was a kind-hearted person and always helped people in need. She helped widows and orphans. Not only did she help people but every year she sent Hajj pilgrims to Mecca and Medina. She also took an interest in music and it was said that she was the best singer among the women of her time.
caption: Painting of Zeb-un-Nissa by Abanindranath Tagore.
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