Gulbadan Begum: princess, explorer, author

Gulbadan Begum was meant to live a quiet life in a Mughal harem. Instead she set off on a daring pilgrimage to Islam's holy cities and, on her return, wrote an extraordinary account of her dynasty. In conversation with Spencer Mizen, Ruby Lal explores the life of a princess who transformed perceptions of what women could achieve in the 16th century.

Ruby Lal is the author of Vagabond Princess: The Great Adventures of Gulbadan (Yale University Press, 2024).