Shah Jahan: Did you mean...?

Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, British Museum curator of Islamic and Iranian coins, talks through the messaging on some Persian coins.

Sultan Razia (Raziyyat-Ud-Dunya Wa Ud-Din, r. 1236-1240) was one of the few women rulers in the Indian subcontinent and the first and only female Sultan of Delhi. Despite facing Herculean challenges...

The Koh-i-Noor diamond (also Koh-i-Nur or Kūh-e Nūr) is one of the largest and most famous cut diamonds in the world. It was most likely found in southern India between 1100 and 1300. The name of the stone is Persian meaning ‘Mountain...

Shajara al-Durr (r. 1250) was the founder of the Mamluk Dynasty in Egypt, and she was the first and only woman to sit on the Islamic Egyptian throne. She held the title of sultana for only 80 days but left a lasting mark through...

In the early 17th century, the Dutch and English East India Companies turned their eyes towards India, as part of their grand schemes to develop extensive trade networks across the Indian and...

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 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.

"Akbar With Lion and Calf", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album Painting by Govardhan Calligrapher Mir 'Ali Haravi verso: ca. 1630; recto: ca. 1530–50 This portrait of Akbar from the Shah Jahan album by Govardhan depicts...

Mehrauli Archaeological Park is situated in Delhi, just beside the Qutb Complex (historically, Mehrauli was the first of the seven cities of Delhi). Spanning an area of more than 200 acres (80 ha), the site displays...

The Retreat from Kabul in 1842 was one of the most notorious disasters in the history of the British Empire. An East India Company army had invaded Afghanistan but was obliged to withdraw. This army of 4,500 soldiers and...