New
New
Year 2

The birth of Nūr Jahān, 'sun among women'

I can describe some of the features of Mehr al-Nesā's early life.

Link copied to clipboard

New
New
Year 2

The birth of Nūr Jahān, 'sun among women'

I can describe some of the features of Mehr al-Nesā's early life.

Link copied to clipboard

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Mehr al-Nesā was born in Kandahar, part of the mighty Mughal Empire in what is now Afghanistan.
  2. Her name meant 'sun among women', but she would later have a new name, Nūr Jahān.
  3. Her parents were running away from another country where they had been treated badly.
  4. A story is told about Mehr al-Nesā during this time; that on their journey her parents abandoned her in the desert.
  5. Feeling awful about what they had done, they returned to find their daughter sitting calmly next to a dangerous snake.

Keywords

  • Mughal Empire - the Mughal Empire was a Muslim empire that ruled most of India

  • Legend - a legend is a traditional story that might not always be true

Common misconception

Pupils may think Mehr al-Nesā sitting next to a snake is completely true.

Explain to the pupils that Mehr al-Nesā's early life is still unknown. There are only legends about her story. A legend is a traditional story that might not always be true.


To help you plan your year 2 history lesson on: The birth of Nūr Jahān, 'sun among women', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Look at a modern map to explore the extent of the Mughal Empire.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of upsetting content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
  • Depiction or discussion of nudity

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

6 Questions

Q1.
Place these kings and queens in the order they ruled, starting with the earliest.
1 - King Henry VIII
2 - King Edward
3 - Queen Mary
4 - Queen Elizabeth I
Q2.
Elizabeth's reign as queen was easy.
true
Correct answer: false
Q3.
Elizabeth I was Protestant.
Correct answer: true
false
Q4.
Elizabeth's government tried to convince her to someone.
Correct Answer: marry
Q5.
Elizabeth was focused on solving England's...
Correct Answer: problems, issues
Q6.
Queen Elizabeth I ruled England alone for 25 years.
Correct answer: true
false

6 Questions

Q1.
When was Mehr al-Nesā born?
40 years ago
Correct answer: 450 years ago
1000 years ago
Q2.
Kandahar was part of the ...
British Empire
Correct answer: Mughal Empire
Roman Empire
Q3.
The Mughal Empire lasted for __________ years.
100 years
Correct answer: 200 years
300 years
Q4.
Mehr al-Nesā's name meant ....
moon among women
stars among women
Correct answer: sun among women
Q5.
Her family were halfway along their journey.
Correct Answer: robbed
Q6.
Not much is known about Mehr al-Nesā’s early life.
Correct answer: true
false

Additional material

Download additional material