By commissioning a copy of Rashid al-Din's famous History of the World, Akbar emphasized that his own family was descended from Genghis Khan. The beautiful, colorful, and very detailed miniature illustrates an episode from the history of the Mongols. The soldiers are shown with contemporary Mughal paraphernalia, for example muskets. Horribly realistic details, such as decapitated heads, are shown alongside a puzzle picture of an elephant’s head at the top of the cliffs.
A contemporary note under the painting states that it was drawn by Miskina and coloured by Kesu, both of whom worked in Akbar's studio.
Inv. no. 39/1980
From the David Collection, Copenhagen, Denmark.