Shah Jahan and Orpheus

Whereas Plato is more commonly considered as an ancient source for The Picture of Dorian Gray, this chapter looks at Ovid and his Metamorphoses as a classical model for Wilde’s sol...

Propertius’ second book is in two ways a response to the Georgics. From its opening poem, it responds to Virgil’s declaration of intent to write an epic for Octavian; and that pole...

The famous plunder of Delhi that followed the 1739 defeat of the Mughals at the Battle of Karnal by Nader Shah (r. 1736–1747) represents, in retrospect, the last world-conquering d...

This chapter considers the problematic nature of Nader Shah’s reign. Until the early 19th century Nader was a well-known figure in Europe, but memory of his exploits faded thereaft...

This chapter describes Muharram Ali's observations of drumming and music traditions linked to the Madho Lal Husain shrine in Lahore, Pakistan. Muhammad Mushtaq, Ali's shalwār, summ...