The Empire of the Great Mughals
Subtitle: History, Art and Culture
Edition: 1 edition
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Published: October 2, 2006
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 352
ISBN-13: 9781861892515
Subjects: Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 1500 to c 1900; History - General History; Religion; Empires & historical states; India; Anthropology - General; Asia - India & South Asia; Islam - History; Religion / Islam / History; History - Ancient & Classical
First sentence: In Milton's Paradise Lost, the great Mughal cities of Agra and Lahore are revealed to Adam after the Fall as future wonders of God's creation.
Description: "The Mughal empire (1526-1857) has long been viewed as a wonderland of unimaginable treasure; it was in fact the mightiest Islamic empire in the history of India. In this comprehensive cultural history ... Annemarie Schimmel describes the political, military and economic rise of the Mughals, their system of rule, the incredible unfolding of their power and splendour, and their gradual collapse, finally supplanted by the British colonial empire in 1857. Beginning with a concise historical overview, she paints a detailed picture of life at court: of rank and status in this strictly hierarchical society; of the life of women; of the various religions, languages and literatures of the Mughal era; of the patronage of the arts by the rulers; and the remarkable accomplishments and techniques of artists at the Mughal court.... Building and landscape architecture, painting and literature, indeed, the entire court culture of the Mughals, all testify to an aesthetic sensibility within which they strove to harmonise all aspects of life."--