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Local Scenes in India and the Taj Mahal: Colonel Alexander Personal Film 2
This collection of amateur shots features some of the most important landmarks of Islamic power in India
Overview
This second collection of footage shot by Col. E.T.H Alexander takes in some of the most important landmarks of Islamic power in India. Alexander guides us around the Qutb complex, built by the founder of the Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526), and the incredible Mughal complex at Agra: we see the Fort, Jama Masjid and tomb of I'tim?d-Ud-Daulah, as well as Fatehpur Sikri, the one-time-capital of the Mughal state under Emperor Akbar, and the Taj Mahal.
This film was made in 1946 or early 1947, on the eve of Britain’s withdrawal from the subcontinent and just before Alexander left India for good. During WWII, Alexander served in the Engineer Corps of the Indian Army and considerable footage is devoted to wells and water holes that show the sophisticated nature of Mughal water engineering. Perhaps the film recorded a final tour of some of India’s most important historic monuments but, made just before India was partitioned on religious grounds, it is also a poignant record of the Muslim heritage of undivided India. Dr. Eleanor Newbigin (SOAS University of London)
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