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Muhammad Hayat Khan's 19th-century text Hayat-i-Afghani  examines the historical and ethnological aspects of Afghanistan's tribes, including the Rohilla Pathan tribes. They settled in the 13th century in what was then known as the Kather region of northern India. This area was later renamed Rohilkhand after the Rohillas rose to prominence as a political force in this area. During the reign of the 17th Mughal emperor Shah Alam II (r. 1759-1806), the mighty Mughal Empire was already in its twilight years. The territorial extent of the empire and the political power of the reigning emperor were reduced enormously. The following Persian expression encapsulates the situation very aptly: سلطاناته شاه علم از دهلی تا پالم   It means 'The empire of Shah Alam is from Delhi to Palam'. Palam was located on the outskirts of Shahjahanabad, the Mughal capital city.                                  ...

What I am writing is matter of history, and my object is to present a faithful account of the manners of this people. Love adventures are not attended with the same danger in Europe as in Asia . In France they excite only merriment ; they create a laugh, and are forgotten : but in this part of the world, few are the instances in which they are not followed by some dreadful and tragical catastrophe.                                                                                                        -  François  Bernier    François  Bernier, who was a French traveller and doctor, visited the Mughal Empire during its heyday. By then, the Mughal harem's administration and protocols were firmly established, b...