The Hamzanama, or 'Book of Hamza' was commissioned by the great Mughal emperor Akbar in the mid-16th century. The epic story of a character based very loosely on the life of the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad chronicles the fantastic adventures of Hamza as he and his band of heroes fight against the enemies of Islam. The stories, from a long-established oral tradition, were written down in Persian, the language of the court, in multiple volumes. These originally had 1400 illustrations, of which fewer than 200 survive today. The only contemporary version of the text is that on the back of the few remaining pictures, making it now difficult to follow the stories. Work on the project probably began in about 1562 and took 15 years to complete.
In this heavily creased and damaged painting, with a replacement patch at upper left, a giant rides through an encampment outside a walled city on his horse. A battle is taking place and in the foreground are boats. It has been identified as the camp of Hamza being attacked by fire-worshippers who attempt to land their ships at night while he is away. Another identification is more precise: 'Arabians under Assim and Sa'ad oppose the landing of the fire-worshippers during a night attack in the Ajam district near Damascus'.