The Kidnapping of Amir Hamza

The Kidnapping of Amir Hamza contains a retelling of one exciting tale from the Hamzanama and has been lavishly illustrated using the original paintings that Emperor Akbar enjoyed. The book introduces children to the creation of Mughal paintings in the chapter ‘Akbar’s Painting Studio’. It also initiates them to ways of seeing Mughal art in the chapter ‘Be an Art Detective’. The Hamzanama (or “Story of Hamza”) was the most popular epic during the Mughal period. Full of giants, demons, dragons, heroes and beautiful princesses, these were great adventure stories narrated around campfires and in courts in many countries. In fact, it was one of the favourite stories of the great Mughal Emperor Akbar. In the 16th century, when the thirteen-year-old Emperor ascended the throne, he commissioned a grand illustration of the Hamzanama. It took 100 artists over 15 years to complete the illustration and the inscription of the story. The resulting manuscript included over 1400 magical paintings, which illustrated 360 tales. Today, only about 200 of these paintings are known to exist.