Calligraphy by H.R.H. Fath-ul-Mulk, Shahzada Mirza Muhammad Sultan Shah, Firuz Jang, Wali Ahd Bahadur Equally impressive are examples by two of his sons. One contains verses in the shape of a lion, signed by Mirza Darabakht Vali 'Ahd (‘heir to the throne’) Bahadur. Mirza Darabakht (1790–1849) was Bahadur Shah’s eldest son and heir until his death of a fever in 1849. Darabakht’s death brought about a constitutional crisis when, by agreement with the British, his younger brother Mirza Fakhr al-Din (1816-1856) was appointed heir in 1852, contrary to the wishes of his father. Fakhr al-Din was also a poet and calligrapher, who died of cholera while still comparatively young. The example below, which includes the same verses as his father's above, is signed with his official titles, Mirza Muhammad Sultan Fath al-Mulk Shah Vali ʻAhd Bahadur, and is dated 1271 (1854/55). The album also includes two examples of calligraphy by Sayyid Muhammad Amir Rizvi 'Panjahkash', a famous calligrapher of Delhi who died in 1857. According to the Urdu writer Khvajah Hasan Nizami (1878-1955), he used to give away examples of his calligraphy to the poor who were able to earn very high prices from reselling them (cited by Jafri, p. 145, see below). Arabic Calligraphy: بلغ العلے بکمالہ کشف الدجی کمالہ حسنت جمیع خصالہ صلواعلیہ وآلہ Ref From: British Library.

Mughal Library