History of the Khaljis, A.D. 1290–1320 c11.9

c11.9

In the early days of their history the Mughals⁷ lived a miserable nomadic life, breeding cattle and horses, and stood very low in the scale of civilization. The contemporary writings of Ibnul Asīr, Juveni, Rashīduddīn as well as Carpini and Rubruquis specify the Mughals as possessed of "yellow skin, high cheek bones, a flat, broad face, black wavy hair and slanting eyes......small chin, broad fleshy lips, sparkling eyes......big ears and round skull."⁸ The climate of their country had made their skins sunburnt and yellow.⁹ They were essentially a dirty race, their filthiness being abominable. The men rarely bathed, the women never, and consequently the most common disease among the Mughals was scabies. They ate all kinds of flesh not excepting human.¹⁰ The mongol was a mixture of extraordinary contradictions. He was exceptionally dull when allowed to be so, but could bear excessive hardship when he was required to exert. A great glutton when edibles were procurable, he could go on without food for days together.¹¹ He was possessed of enormous endurance and could ride for forty hours at a stretch, but otherwise he loved to be inert. The women worked hard and possessed a fairly good position in society.¹² They performed household duties, went with men for hunting and even took up arms in the field of battle.¹³ The main occupation of the Mughals, which accounted for their vigour and virility were sport, military exercise and actual fighting.