The 'Humayun-nama', a biography of the Mughal emperor Humayun, was written by:

The "Humayun-nama", a biography of the Mughal emperor Humayun, was written in Persian by Gulbadan Begum, Humayun's half-sister and Babur's daughter.

About the Humayun-nama:

• Gulbadan Begum wrote it at the request of her nephew, Akbar, who wanted material for the official history of his reign.
• It was written in simple and lively Persian.
• It describes the lives of Babur and Humayun, including their battles, exile and family life.
• It gives a rare picture of the domestic world of the Mughals: the relations among family members, the role of women, and the conflicts among Humayun's brothers.
• It describes in detail the tensions and conflicts among the princes, and the important role of the senior women of the family in resolving them.
• Only one incomplete manuscript survives, which is in the British Library.
• It was translated into English by Annette Beveridge in 1902.

NCERT on Gulbadan Begum:

• NCERT discusses the Humayun-nama as a source that provides a glimpse into the domestic world of the Mughals.
• It notes that Gulbadan was the daughter of Babur, and that she could write fluently in Turkish and Persian.

About Gulbadan Begum:

• She was born in about 1523 in Kabul, the daughter of Babur and Dildar Begum.
• "Gulbadan" means "rose body".
• She travelled widely, and in 1576 she led a group of royal women on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, returning after about seven years.
• She died in 1603.

Women writers of the Mughal period:

• Jahanara Begum: daughter of Shah Jahan; wrote biographies of Sufi saints.
• Zeb-un-Nissa: daughter of Aurangzeb; a poet who wrote under the name "Makhfi" (hidden one).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Jahanara wrote about Sufi saints.
• ✗Hamida Banu Begum was Humayun's wife and Akbar's mother.
• ✗Nur Jahan was Jahangir's queen.