| In these episodes from Tilism-e-hoshruba, magicians are sent by Afrasiyab, the king of the tilism, to arrest Amar Ayyaar. What follows is a classic series of trickery. The story of the tilism (a magical world) of Hoshruba, defended by Emperor Afrasiyab against rival tilism as well as the trickster Amar Ayyar, has become one of the foremost fantasy tales in Urdu. |
These fantastic tales of the adventures of Hamza and Amar Aiyar captured the imagination of the young Mughal emperor Akbar. Not only did he recite them personally, he commissioned them to be compiled into the first royal manuscript to be illustrated in India during his reign (1556-1605). This manuscript came to be known as the ‘Hamzanama’. |
