Why Alexander the Great was treated with hostility in Zoroastrian literature

Even in Firdawsi’s ‘Shahnamah’, he is described by Ardshir, founder of the Sasanian dynasty, as ‘the evil-minded tyrant’.

Ursula Sims-Williams

· Feb 22, 2023 · 09:30 pm

In illustrations: Tales of conquests and adventures from the life of Alexander the Great

The Persian Shahnamah, or Book of Kings, is one of the most richly illustrated sources, completed by the poet Firdawsi in 1010 CE.

Ursula Sims-Williams

· Oct 27, 2022 · 07:30 pm

How did Alexander become ‘the Great’? A new exhibition explores the making of a myth

A glimpse of artefacts that will soon be on display at London’s British Library.

Ursula Sims-Williams

· Sep 26, 2022 · 07:30 pm

In illustrations: The stories that are common to the Qurʼan and the Bible

Since accounts of the prophets’ lives were often sketchy in the Qurʼan itself, stories about them drew heavily on Jewish, Christian and oral literature.

Ursula Sims-Williams

· Aug 13, 2022 · 01:30 pm

The oldest surviving Zoroastrian scriptures were found not in Iran or India, but in China

In its Epic Iran exhibition, the British Library will be displaying its unrivalled collection of manuscripts.

Ursula Sims-Williams

· Sep 01, 2021 · 01:30 pm

Muhammad Najib Khan, a Sufi soldier and manuscript collector in 18th-century southern India

Caught up in the conflict between the rivals of Hyderabad, the French and the East India Company, he was killed in the Battle of Ambur in 1749.

Ursula Sims-Williams

· Nov 28, 2020 · 01:30 pm

Old manuscripts, letters show how Christian influences were depicted in Mughal art and life

A document talks about Christmas celebrations in Lahore in 1597.

Ursula Sims-Williams

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Malini Roy

· Dec 25, 2018 · 01:30 pm

Glimpses of ‘Divan-i-Hijri’, a book of poems in the collection of Humayun’s wife Hamidah Banu

The Mughal empress was known to have a rich library.

Ursula Sims-Williams

· Sep 29, 2018 · 09:30 pm

Photos: The medieval-era Qurans with 30 leaves, one for each day of the month

These copies are based on the 30 equal sections.

Ursula Sims-Williams

· Jun 15, 2018 · 09:30 pm

Royal seals on old books tell a fascinating story of Tipu Sultan’s penchant for calendar systems

They also show the ruler of Mysore’s fondness for the tiger motif.

Ursula Sims-Williams

· Apr 08, 2018 · 01:30 pm

Rare manuscripts: A look at an illustrated Mughal copy of Nizami’s tragic romance ‘Layla Majnun’

The manuscript tells of the fateful romance between Layla and Qays who, driven to madness, took refuge in the desert with wild creatures.

Ursula Sims-Williams

· Mar 16, 2018 · 09:30 pm

Photos: An 18th-century Persian medical manual commissioned by Tipu Sultan that featured unicorns

The text seems to be a translation of a European manual by Pierre Pomet, chief druggist of Louis XIV.

Ursula Sims-Williams

· Jan 16, 2018 · 07:30 pm