Complex sentence: Persian lutes were played at the Mughal court and may have provided a basis of the sitar; however, there is no physical evidence for the sitar until the time of the collapse of the Mughal Empire between 1690 and 1720.
Split into simpler sentences: Persian lutes were played at court and may have provided a basis of the sitar. However, there is no physical evidence for the sitar until the time of the collapse of the Mughal Empire between 1690 and 1720.