From 1526-1857, the Mughal Empire presided over an extended period of peace, prosperity and unprecedented artistic achievement in the Indian subcontinent. For more than a decade, the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme has been working to preserve and restore historically significant sites to their original splendour. This book takes a close look at a wide variety of such projects, such as Bagh-e-Babur in Kabul; Humayun's tomb and garden in Delhi; and the walled city of Lahore; and places them in the wider context of the Empire's social, aesthetic and ethical mores. In addition, it includes contemporary projects being developed around the world that reflect aspects of Mughal and Islamic heritage. Filled with stunning colour photography, this book offers a detailed study of the myriad achievements of the Mughal world and their lasting effects throughout the globe. This book also includes texts written by leading specialists on the subject as well as those who were actually in charge of the restoration projects. AUTHOR: Philip Jodidio has published numerous books on architecture and art, including 'The Museum of the Horse', 'The Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme', and 'Rafael Vinoly Architects' (all by Prestel). 250 colour illustrations
The buildings of Mughal India constitute one of the world's greatest architectural traditions. Whether it is the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Red Fort in Delhi or the palaces of Fatehpur Sikri, these and other similarly well-preserved monuments of the 16th and 17th centuries testify to the refined taste and unlimited resources of a line of powerful patrons, notably the emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Mughal architecture is a remarkable hybrid that fuses building forms, techniques and decorative schemes imported from Iran and Central Asia with long-established Indian materials and techniques. The results are both structurally innovative and aesthetically spectacular, a testament to the genius of Indian masons and craftsmen. The first comprehensive survey of the subject in more than 20 years, this lavish volume documents nearly 100 Mughal sites and monuments in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Mughal Architecture and Gardens is enhanced by over 250 stunning colour photographs by Amit Pasricha, one of the most talented architectural photographers working today. His photographs are accompanied by over 80 specially commissioned building plans and site layouts. Sumptuously illustrated with a text by renowned architectural historian George Michell, this book is of interest to students and scholars as well as travellers and general readers. AUTHOR: George Michell is an architectural historian, specialising in ancient Indian architecture. He obtained his PhD from the School of Oriental African Studies, University of London, has directed courses on Asian architecture at the Architectural Association, London, and was co-editor of the journal Art and Archaeology Research Papers from 1972 to 1982. Since the 1980s, he has co-directed an international team of scholars and students at Vijayanagara, the medieval Hindu site in Karnataka. George Mitchell has also lectured at universities and museums throughout the USA, Europe, India and Australia. Among his many publications are The Royal Palaces of India, Islamic Heritage of the Deccan, Architecture of the Islamic World: Its History and Social Meaning and Palaces of Rajasthan. Amit Pasricha lives in New Delhi and comes from a family of photographers. A well-known architectural and social documentary photographer, his work has been exhibited in India, London and New York. His photographs have also been published in several books, including Dome over India: Rashtrapati Bhavan, Horizons: The Tata-India Century and India: Then and Now. Pasricha's most recent publication is the panoramic collector's edition, The Monumental India Book, winner of the Indian Tourism Award, 2008. SELLING POINTS: The first comprehensive survey of the subject in more than 20 years, this lavish volume documents nearly 100 Mughal sites and monuments in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh ILLUSTRATIONS: 270 colour
It Is Hard To Imagine Anyone Succeeding More Gracefully In Producing A Balanced Overview Than Abraham Eraly William Dalrymple, Sunday Times, London In The Mughal World Abraham Eraly Continues His Fascinating Chronicle Of The Grand Saga Of The Mughal Empire. In Emperors Of The Peacock Throne He Gave Us The Story Of The Lives And Achievements Of The Great Mughal Emperors; In This Book, He Looks Beyond The Momentous Historical Events To Portray, In Precise And Vivid Detail, The Agony And Ecstasy Of Life In Mughal India. Combining Scholarly Objectivity With Artful Storytelling The Author Presents A Lively Panorama Of The Mughal World Emperors And Nobles At Work And Play; Harem Life; The Profligacy And Extravagance Of The Ruling Class Juxtaposed With The Stark Wretchedness Of The Common People. Meticulously Researched And Lucidly Narrated The Mughal World Offers Rare Insights Into The State Of The Empire S Economy, Religious Policies, The Mughal Army And Its Tactics, And The Glories Of Mughal Art, Architecture, Literature And Music.
- Offers fresh insights into the rich aesthetic and cultural legacy of the Imperial Mughal age in the Indian subcontinent - Essays by 13 eminent international scholars draw comparisons between the Mughals, the Safavids and the Ottomans - Over 159 images of Mughal artifacts, paintings, gardens and monuments illustrate the lasting heritage of the Imperial Mughals Enter the splendid world of Mughal India and explore its rich aesthetic and cultural legacy through fresh insights offered by 13 eminent scholars. Recent scholarship in this field has offered deeper analysis into established norms, explored pan-Indian connections and drawn comparisons with contemporaneous regions of the early modern world. Further studies along these lines were encouraged in a seminar held by the K.R. Cama Oriental Institute, Mumbai, and the formidable scholarship presented by contributors forms the content of this volume. The articles in this book explore varied subjects under the Mughal umbrella, challenge long-held ideas and draw comparisons between the artistic expressions and material culture of the powerful Islamicate triumvirate of the early modern period - the Safavids in Iran, the European-based Ottomans and the Mughals in the Indian subcontinent. Themes as diverse as portraits of royal women, sub-imperial patronage of temples, word-image relationship, the lapidary arts and the Imperial Library of the Mughals, a reconsideration of Mughal garden typologies, murals painted on architectural surfaces, the textile culture of the city of Burhanpur, changes in visual language and content of painting, and Imperial objets d'art have been discussed, challenged and analyzed. The final three articles are groundbreaking comparisons across Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal spheres. This beautifully illustrated book is sure to appeal to c
Through the Mughal's rich legacy of art and architecture, and using many first-hand accounts from the time, this book reveals the lives of the Mughals, exploring how their individual characters differed and how between them they came to build, and lose, a great empire. It tells the remarkable story of the 300-year Mughal dynasty in India.
Finalist for the 2018 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in History "A luminous biography." —Rafia Zakaria, Guardian Four centuries ago, a Muslim woman ruled an empire. Nur Jahan, daughter of a Persian noble and widow of a subversive official, became the twentieth and most cherished wife of the Emperor Jahangir. Nur ruled the vast Mughal Empire alongside her husband, leading troops into battle, signing imperial orders, and astutely handling matters of the state. Acclaimed historian Ruby Lal uncovers the rich life and world of Nur Jahan, rescuing this dazzling figure from patriarchal and Orientalist clichés of romance and intrigue, and giving new insight into the lives of women and girls in the Mughal Empire. In Empress, Nur Jahan finally receives her due in a deeply researched and evocative biography that awakens us to a fascinating history.
Annemarie Schimmel has written extensively on India, Islam and poetry. In this comprehensive study she presents an overview of the cultural, economic, militaristic and artistic attributes of the great Mughal Empire from 1526 to 1857.
WINNER OF THE DUFF COOPER MEMORIAL PRIZE | LONGLISTED FOR THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE 'Indispensable reading on both India and the Empire' Daily Telegraph 'Brims with life, colour and complexity . . . outstanding' Evening Standard 'A compulsively readable masterpiece' Brian Urquhart, The New York Review of Books A stunning and bloody history of nineteenth-century India and the reign of the Last Mughal. In May 1857 India's flourishing capital became the centre of the bloodiest rebellion the British Empire had ever faced. Once a city of cultural brilliance and learning, Delhi was reduced to a battered, empty ruin, and its ruler – Bahadur Shah Zafar II, the last of the Great Mughals – was thrown into exile. The Siege of Delhi was the Raj's Stalingrad: a fight to the death between two powers, neither of whom could retreat. The Last Mughal tells the story of the doomed Mughal capital, its tragic destruction, and the individuals caught up in one of the most terrible upheavals in history, as an army mutiny was transformed into the largest anti-colonial uprising to take place anywhere in the world in the entire course of the nineteenth century.
