Babur's memoirs, the 'Baburnama' (Tuzuk-i-Baburi), were originally written in which language?

Babur's memoirs, known as the "Baburnama" or "Tuzuk-i-Baburi", were originally written in Chagatai Turkish (Turki), Babur's mother tongue.

About the Baburnama:

• It is an autobiography, in which Babur describes his life from the time he became ruler of Ferghana to shortly before his death.
• It covers most of his life, though there are gaps in the record.
• It describes his battles, his victories and defeats, his feelings, and his views of the people around him.
• It also contains detailed descriptions of the geography, plants, animals, fruits, people and customs of Central Asia, Afghanistan and India.
• It is written in a simple, frank and lively style, and Babur does not hide his weaknesses and mistakes.
• It is regarded as one of the greatest autobiographies in world literature.

His views of India:

• Babur described India as a large and rich country, with plenty of gold and silver.
• He was critical of some aspects of India, such as the lack of good horses, grapes, melons, gardens, baths and running water.
• He praised the large number of craftsmen and workers.
• He described the different kingdoms of India at the time of his arrival.

Translations:

• The Baburnama was translated into Persian in 1589, during Akbar's reign.
• Akbar also had illustrated copies made, with paintings by Mughal artists.
• It was translated into English by Annette Beveridge in the early 20th century, and earlier by John Leyden and William Erskine.

Other Mughal memoirs and histories:

• "Humayun-nama": by Gulbadan Begum (Persian).
• "Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri": Jahangir's memoirs (Persian).

About Chagatai Turkish:

• It is a Turkic language, named after Chagatai, a son of Chinggis Khan.
• It was widely used in Central Asia.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Persian was the language of later Mughal histories.
• ✗Arabic and Urdu were not used for the Baburnama.