Ayeen Akbery; or, The Institutes of the Emperor Akber written by Abu al-Fazl Ibn Mubarak and translated by Francis Gladwin, 1800

List of fruits and other plants, including their seasons, prices, purposes, and description

Lists of flowers, and their season and physical characteristics

Title page

In Mughal India, Emperor Akbar (1556-1605) commissioned the Ayeen Akbary as a collection of statistical reports, administration reports, and gazetteers about the empire. The Ayeen Akbary lists a number of exotic flowers, many from distant lands in the Indian Ocean world. These flowers were used to create perfumes, prized by the Mughal emperor. The traditional medicinal and culinary uses of the flowers were also recorded. Emperor Akbar actively sought to incorporate indigenous knowledge traditions into the codified knowledge of the Mughal Empire.