Includes bibliographical references and index.

Note on transliteration and terminology -- Dramatis personae -- Queen of queens, an introduction -- Miracle girl -- Al-hind -- The cupolas of chastity and the perfect man -- The wak-wak tree -- The mirror of happiness -- Grave matters -- A key for closed doors -- Ascent -- Wonder of the age -- Veils of light -- The light-scattering garden -- Fitna -- The rescue -- Angel of death -- Beyond 1627, an epilogue.

When it came to hunting, she was a master shot. As a dress designer, few could compare. An ingenious architect, she innovated the use of marble in her parents’ mausoleum on the banks of the Yamuna River that inspired her stepson’s Taj Mahal. And she was both celebrated and reviled for her political acumen and diplomatic skill, which rivaled those of her female counterparts in Europe and beyond.