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Iran / Persia: 'Prince and Lady under a Flowering Branch', miniature from an album made for Prince Bahram Mirza, Timurid, 1544-1545. Inscribed in Persian on reverse: 'work of the Masters of Cathay (China)'

Iran / Persia: 'Prince and Lady under a Flowering Branch', miniature from an album made for Prince Bahram Mirza, Timurid, 1544-1545. Inscribed in Persian on reverse: 'work of the Masters of Cathay (China)'

The Timurid dynasty (Persian: تیموریان‎), self-designated Gurkānī (Persian: گوركانى‎), was a Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turco-Mongol lineage which ruled over modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, much of Central Asia, as well as parts of contemporary Pakistan, India, Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the Caucasus. The dynasty was founded by Timur (Tamerlane) in the 14th century.

The Timurids lost control of most of Persia to the Safavid dynasty in 1501, but members of the dynasty continued to rule parts of Central Asia and parts of India, sometimes known as the Timurid Emirates. In the 16th century, Babur, a Timurid prince from Ferghana (modern Uzbekistan), invaded Kabulistan (modern Afghanistan) and established a small kingdom there, and from there 20 years later he invaded Hindustan to establish the Mughal Empire.

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