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{{short description|Term used for a province in the Mughal Empire}}
{{otheruses}}
A '''Subah''' was the term for a [[province]] (state) in the [[Mughal Empire]]. The term was also used by other polities of the Indian subcontinent. The word is derived from [[Arabic]] and [[Persian language|Persian]]. The governor/ruler of a ''Subah'' was known as a ''[[subahdar]]'' (sometimes also referred to as a "''Subeh''"<ref>George Clifford Whitworth. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7tAOAAAAQAAJ&q=Subah&pg=PA301 Subah.] ''An Anglo-Indian Dictionary: A Glossary of Indian Terms Used in English, and of Such English Or Other Non-Indian Terms as Have Obtained Special Meanings in India''. London: Kegan Paul, Trench & Co. 1885. p. 301.</ref>), which later became ''[[subedar]]'' to refer to an officer in the [[Indian Army]] and [[Pakistan Army]]. The ''subahs'' were established by [[Padishah|badshah]] (emperor) [[Akbar]] during his administrative reforms of years 1572–1580; initially they numbered to 12, but his conquests expanded the number of ''subahs'' to 15 by the end of his reign. ''Subahs'' were divided into ''[[Sarkar (country subdivision)|Sarkars]]'', or districts. ''Sarkars'' were further divided into ''[[Pargana|Parganas]]'' or ''[[Mohalla|Mahals]]''. His successors, most notably [[Aurangzeb]], expanded the number of ''subahs'' further through their conquests. As the empire began to dissolve in the early 18th century, many ''subahs'' became effectively independent, or were conquered by the [[Maratha Empire|Marathas]] or the [[British Raj|British]].

In modern context subah ({{lang-ur|{{Nastaliq|صوبہ}}}}) is a word used for [[province]] in [[Urdu]] language mainly in Pakistan.

== History ==
[[File:Map of Mughal Subah.jpg|thumb|Map of Mughal Subahs in 1560]]
Initially, after the administrative reforms of [[Akbar]], the [[Mughal empire]] was divided into 12 subahs : Kabul, Lahore, Multan, Delhi, Agra, Avadh, Illahabad, Bihar, Bangal, Malwa, Ajmer and Gujarat. After the conquest of [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]], he created three more subahs there: Berar, Khandesh (initially renamed Dandesh in 1601) and Ahmadnagar (in 1636 renamed as Daulatabad and subsequently as Aurangabad).

[[Jahangir]] increased to the number of subahs to 17 during the reign; Orissa being carved out of Bangal in 1607. The number of subahs increased to 22 under [[Shah Jahan]].<ref name="mahajan">Mahajan, V.D. (1991, reprint 2007). ''History of Medieval India'', Part II, New Delhi: S. Chand, {{ISBN|81-219-0364-5}}, p.236n</ref> In his 8th regnal year, Shah Jahan separated the ''sarkar'' of Telangana from Berar and made it into a separate subah. In 1657, it was merged with Zafarabad Bidar subah. Agra was renamed Akbarabad 1629 and Delhi became Shahjahanbad in 1648.<ref>Habib, I (2003). ''The Agrarian System of Mughal India 1556-1707'', New Delhi: Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-565595-8}}, pp.8n, 451</ref> Kashmir was carved out of Kabul, Thatta (Sindh) out of Multan and Bidar out of Ahmadnagar. For some time Qandahar was a separate subah under the Mughal Empire but it was lost to Persia in 1648.

[[Aurangzeb]] added Bijapur (1686), [[Province of Sira|Sira]] (1687)<ref name="igimc-175-176">{{Harvnb|Imperial Gazetteer of India: Provincial Series|1908|pp=175–176}}</ref> and [[Golkonda Suba|Golkonda]] (1687) as new subahs. There were 22 subahs during his reign.<ref name="mahajan" /> These were Kabul, Kashmir, Lahore, Multan, Delhi, Agra, Avadh, Illahabad, Bihar, Bangalah, Orissa, Malwa, Ajmer, Gujarat, Berar, Khandesh, Aurangabad, Bidar, Thatta, Bijapur, [[Province of Sira|Sira]]<ref name="igimc-175-176">{{Harvnb|Imperial Gazetteer of India: Provincial Series|1908|pp=175–176}}</ref> and Haidarabad (Golkonda).<ref>Habib, I (2003). ''The Agrarian System of Mughal India 1556-1707'', New Delhi: Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-565595-8}}, p.4</ref> [[Aurangzeb]] made Arcot a Mughal subah in 1692.

The [[Sikh Empire]] (1799–1849), originating in the [[Punjab|Punjab region]], also used the term ''Suba'' for the provinces it administered under its territorial delineation, of which there were five.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Herrli |first=Hans |title=The Coins of the Sikhs |year=1993 |pages=10}}</ref>

== Current usage ==
In modern usage in [[Urdu]] language, the term is used as a word for [[province]], while the word ''[[Princely state|riyasat]]'' ({{lang-ur|{{Nastaliq|ریاست}}}}) ("princely state" in English) is used for [[Federated state|(federated) state]]. The terminologies are based on administrative structure of [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British India]] which was partially derived from the Mughal administrative structure. In modern times, the term ''subah'' is mainly used in [[Pakistan]], where its four [[provinces]] are called "Subah" in [[Urdu]] language.

== List of Subahs of the Mughal Empire ==

=== Akbar's original twelve ''subahs'' ===
The twelve subahs created as a result of the administrative reform by Akbar(Mughal Emperor):
{| class="wikitable" style="width:80%; text-align:left" border="1" align="center"
!#
!Subah
!Capital(s)
|-
|1
|[[Kabul Subah]] ([[Kashmir]] added in 1586)
|[[Kabul]]
|-
|2
|[[Subah of Lahore|Lahore Subah]]
|[[Lahore]]
|-
|3
|[[Subah of Multan|Multan Subah]]
|[[Multan]]
|-
|4
|[[Ajmer Subah]]
|[[Ajmer]]
|-
|5
|[[Gujarat Subah]]
|[[Ahmedabad]]
|-
|6
|[[History of Delhi#Early Modern period (16th-18th centuries CE)|Delhi Subah]]
| [[Old Delhi|Delhi]]
|-
|7
|[[Agra Subah]]
|[[Agra]]
|-
|8
|[[Malwa Subah]]
|[[Ujjain]]
|-
|9
|[[Oudh State|Awadh Subah]]
|[[Faizabad]], later [[Lucknow]]
|-
|10
|[[Illahabad Subah]]
|[[Allahabad|Illahabad]]
|-
|11
|[[History of Bihar#Zamindars of Bihar and the Mughals|Bihar Subah]]
|[[Patna]]
|-
|12
|[[Bengal Subah]]
|Tanda (1574–95) [[Rajmahal]] (1595–1610, 1639–59) [[Dhaka]] (1610–1639, 1660–1703) [[Murshidabad]] (1703–72)
|}

===''Subahs'' added after 1595===
The ''subahs'' which added later were (with dates established):
{| class="wikitable" style="width:80%; text-align:left" border="1" align="center"
!#
!Subah
!Capital
!Year of establishment
!Emperor
|-
|13
|[[Berar Subah]]
|[[Achalpur|Ellichpur]]
|1596
|rowspan="3"|[[Akbar]]
|-
|14
|[[Khandesh#Mughal rule|Khandesh Subah]]
|[[Burhanpur]]
|1601
|-
|15
|[[Ahmadnagar Subah]] (renamed [[Daulatabad, Maharashtra|Daulatabad]] in 1636) (further renamed [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]])
|[[Ahmednagar|Ahmadnagar]] (1601–1636) [[Daulatabad, Maharashtra|Daulatabad]] [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]]
|1601 (conquest completed in 1636)
|-
|16
|[[Orissa Subah]]
|[[Cuttack]]
|
| rowspan="8" |[[Shah Jahan]]
|-
|17
|[[Mughal Kashmir|Kashmir Subah]]
|[[Srinagar]]
|1638
|-
|18
|[[Sindh#Mughal_era|Thatta Subah]]
|[[Thatta]]
|
|-
|
|[[Qandahar Subah]]
|[[Qandahar]]
|1638 (lost in 1648)
|-
|
|[[History of Telangana#Mughal conquest and rule|Telangana Subah]]
|[[Nanded]]
|1636 (merged into Bidar in 1657)
|-
|
|[[Balkh Subah]]
|[[Balkh]]
|1646 (lost in 1647)
|-
|
|[[Badakhshan Subah]]
|[[Kunduz|Qunduz]]
|1646 (lost in 1647)
|-
|19
|[[History of Bidar#Medieval Period|Bidar Subah]]
|[[Bidar]]
|1656
|-
|20
|[[Bijapur#Bahmani and Bijapur Sultanates|Bijapur Subah]]
|[[Bijapur]]
|1684
|rowspan="4"|[[Aurangzeb]]
|-
|21
|[[Golkonda Subah]] (later Haidarabad)
|[[Hyderabad|Haidarabad]]
|1687
|-
|22
|[[Sira Subah]]
|[[Sira, Karnataka|Sira]]
|1687
|-
|23
|[[Carnatic Sultanate|Arcot Subah]]
|[[Gingee]]
|1692
|-
|}

== Gallery ==
{{Gallery|title=Subahs of the Mughal Empire|align=center}}
[[File:Hindoostan, divided into Soubahs according to the Ayin Acbaree," a historical map of Akbar's India from Wilkinson's Atlas, 1815 North max size.jpg|center|thumb|Subahs of the Mughal Empire (North India)]]
[[File:Hindoostan, divided into Soubahs according to the Ayin Acbaree," a historical map of Akbar's India from Wilkinson's Atlas, 1815 South max.jpg|center|thumb|Subahs of the Mughal Empire (South India)]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
* Keay, John (2000). ''India: a History''. Grove Press, New York.
* Markovits, Claude (ed.) (2004). ''A History of Modern India: 1480-1950''. Anthem Press, London.

== Further reading ==
* {{cite journal |last1=Foltz |first1=Richard |title=The Mughal Occupation of Balkh 1646–1647 |journal=Journal of Islamic Studies |date=1996 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=49–61 |url=https://academic.oup.com/jis/article/7/1/49/737290?searchresult=1|publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/jis/7.1.49 }}

[[Category:Mughal subahs|*]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of the Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:Types of administrative division]]
[[Category:Urdu-language words and phrases]]

Subah - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article