Mirza ABOU TALIB KHAN

An Indo-Persian official and scholar from Lucknow, Mirza Abu Taleb Khan served under the Nawabs of Oudh and later worked for the British East India Company. Forced into exile, he travelled extensively between 1799 and 1803, passing through Egypt, France, and England, where he resided for several years. His Masir Talib fi Bilad Afranji (“The Travels of Abu Taleb Khan in Europe”) is one of the earliest and most detailed accounts of Europe by a Muslim Indian author. Originally written in Persian, it was translated into English by Charles Stewart as Travels of Mirza Abu Taleb Khan in Asia, Africa, and Europe (London, 1810). The work is a key cross-cultural document reflecting the Indian perspective on Enlightenment Europe.