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Hafez Shiraz
Hafez of Shiraz (also given as Hafiz, l. 1315-1390) is considered the greatest of the Persian poets and among the most famous and admired writers in world literature. He is among the most often translated poets in the present day and his...

Definition
Urdubegis
The urdubegis were a group of female warriors in the Mughal Empire, who protected the zenana, the harem of the emperor. Although the origins of female bodyguards go back to the beginning of Indian civilizations, the urdubegis were a Mughal...

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Mumtaz Mahal
A 19th-century illustration showing a seated Queen Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631), wife of Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658), emperor of the Mughal Empire. Shah Jahan famously built the Taj Mahal for Mumtaz Mahal.

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The British Raj c. 1930
A map illustrating the extent and composition of the British Raj (from Hindi for kingdom, government) - a period of direct British rule over the subcontinent of India that started in 1858. After the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the Act for the Better...

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Jahangir and His Vizier, I'timad al-Daula
Jahangir and His Vizier, I'timad al-Daula, folio from the Shah Jahan Album, ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper by Manohar, India, c. 1615. Mughal emperor Jahangir (r. 1605-27) bestowed the title of l'timad al-Daula (meaning "reliance...

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Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore
Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan, built between 1634 and 1641 under the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and named after the renowned physician and later Viceroy of Punjab Hakim Ilmud Din Ansari, who was given the title "Wazir Khan"...

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Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal, Agra. Built in 1634 CE by Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahall.

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Giraffe Tribute to Emperor Yongle
A silk scroll painting by Shen Du depicting a giraffe given in tribute by King Saif Al-Din Hamzah Shah of Bengal to the Yongle Emperor (r. 1403-1424 CE) of China's Ming Dynasty. The tribute was one of the many collected by Admiral Zheng He...

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Zal Consults the Magi
Zal Consults the Magi, Folio 73v from the Shahnameh (The Persian Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp. Painting attributed to Sultan Muhammad, Tabriz, Iran, c. 1530–35.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

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Mughal Prince & Ladies in a Garden
A later Mughal painting, as practiced at provincial centers such as Lucknow during the 18th century, where "a less imperial and more leisurely, graceful style" was adopted. This painting depicts a Mughal prince and princess, accompanied by...