Allegorical representation of Emperor Jahangir and Shah Abbas of Persia from the St. Petersburg Album ca. 1618; margins 1747-48 Abu'l Hasan b. 1588 or 1589) Mughal dynasty Reign of Jahangir Opaque watercolor, ink, silver and gold on paper H: 23.8 W: 15.4 cm India Copyright � 2012 Smithsonian Institution Jahangir, on the right, hugs Shah Abbas, the Safavid ruler of the Persian empire. They stand on top of the world, on the backs of a lion and a lamb. A lion and a lamb together represents peace and harmony. This image suggests that the two rulers are at peace with one another. It also suggests, due to the submissive posture of Shah Abbas, that Jahangir, the Mughal Indian emperor, is in charge here. He is the one that stands on top of the world. Shah 'Abbas is secondary. Iran was traditionally allied with Mughal India against the Uzbeks, who coveted the province of Khorasan. The Mughal emperor Humayun had given Abbas� grandfather, Shah Tahmasp, the province of Kandahar as a reward for helping him back to his throne. In 1590, profiting from the confusion in Iran, Humayun�s successor Akbar seized Kandahar. Abbas continued to maintain cordial relations with the Mughals, while always asking for the return of Kandahar. Finally, in 1620, a diplomatic incident in which the Iranian ambassador refused to bow down in front of the Emperor Jahangir led to war. India was embroiled in civil turmoil and Abbas found he only needed a lightning raid to take back Kandahar in 1622. After the conquest, he was very conciliatory to Jahangir, claiming he had only taken back what was rightly his and disavowing any further territorial ambitions. Jahangir was not appeased but he was unable to recapture the province.