It is this woman, immensely influential, wealthy—and yet in her own way a mystic, a devout follower of Sufism—who is the subject of Nausheen Jaffery’s Jahan Ara Begum: 1614-1681. Jahan Ara Begum 1614-1681 By Nausheen Jaffery; Edited by Shailaja Kathuria Tulika Books, 2025 Pages: 184 Price: Rs. There is some information about what Jahan Ara may have read, who may have taught her what; but beyond that, there is little. The Padshah BegumIf the last chapter shines the light on Jahan Ara as not just litterateur but also Sufi mystic, the chapters between the first and the fifth focus entirely on the princess Jahan Ara, an influential, wealthy, powerful woman. Jahan Ara Begum is not strictly a biography in the sense that most people interpret it.