The Mughals - Epic Music

Music by Farya Faraji, vocals by Ashish Ali, Marriam Zeeshan, rubab and sitar by Marc Planells. Please note that this isn't reconstructed music from the era of the Mughal Empire, but modern music rooted in Indian, Pakistani, Afghani and Iranian elements. The instruments used are the santour, rubab, sitar, dilruba, sarangi, and a panoply of Indian percussions, as well as the Iranian tanboor and dotar. The structure of the music and its aesthetics are derived from Hindustani Classical music, aspects of Carnatic Classical music, as well as Qawwali, the main Sufi musical repertoire of the Indian subcontinent. The melodies use the vast repertoire of the Raga system, some of them pentatonic in nature, as well as the Dastgah system of Iranian music.

The Mughals were a dynasty that ruled over the near totality of the Indian subcontinent for centuries. Self-named Gurkanians; they were Persian-speaking Muslims whose genealogical roots were found in Timur, and by extension, Genghis Khan, hence the historiographical term "Mughal," which means Mongol.

The lyrics sung are derived from a variety of sources: poetry in the Chagatai language written by Babur, the founder of the dynasty, poetry in the Persian language by Zeb-un-Nissa, a Mughal princess and daughter of Aurangzeb, and highly persianised Hindustani language with Arabic words.

Lyrics:
(Hindustani)
Tu noor-e Hindustan hai,
Noorani, noorani hai,
Ya Ali, ya Muhammad,
Ey meherban ey nigahban,
Merhaba ya merhaba,
Shahenshah ya padishah,
La Illah ha i-lallah,
Jallah jallalah bismillah

You are the light of Hindustan,
You are radiant,
O Ali, oh Muhammad,
O generous one, o guardian,
Welcome, welcome
Shahenshah and Padishash,
There is no god but God,
May his glory be glorified

(Chagatai)
Islam ichin avara-i yazi buldim,
Kuffar u hind harbsazi buldim
Jazm aylab idim uzni shahid olmaqqa,
Amminna' lillahi ki gazi buldim

I am become a desert wanderer for Islam,
Having joined battle with infidels and Hindus
I readied myself to become a martyr,
God be thanked I am become a ghazi.

(Persian)
Afarin bar jegaram bad ke dar keshvar e Hend,
Sekkeye naghde sokhan rajeye Iran zade am,
Baz emrooz delam sooye Khorasan rafte ast,
Reshteye kofr boridast o be iman rafte ast,
Va nashod chon ghoncheye del, dar baharestane Hend,
Raft morghe rouge Makhfi, goosheye Kabol gereft

Hail to my soul, for within the country of India,
I speak the valuable tongue of Iran,
Again today, my heart years for Khorasan,
It cuts off the root of blasphemy and goes towards faith,
The flower of the heart does not bloom in the garden of India,
Makhfi's secret bird instead flies away, and goes towards Kabul.