While most casual listeners hear “Agra” and think “Taj Mahal,” there’s a whole lot more to the city than that jewel of a mausoleum. During the 16th century, Agra was the capital of the Mughal Empire, and under the great Emperor Akbar, art, culture, and especially rug-making flourished. So dedicated was the Emperor to encouraging creativity from all quarters, that in an effort to reform the unruly prison system he sent master weavers from Persia to the jails in order to teach the prisoners their art. After falling into disuse, the practice of weaving in prisons would later be resuscitated under the British, who seized the city from the Marathas in 1803. With a large number of rebellions on their hands, the British set up quite a lot of jails, and like Akbar before them, had their prisoners—no few of whom were Indian freedom fighters—work the looms. These Agra prison rugs would find their way into the poshest salons of Europe. One two-ton rug, thought to be the largest seamless carpet in the world, even made it to the Waterloo Chamber at Buckingham Palace—a “gift” from the prisoners to Queen Victoria for her Golden Jubilee; during the 1992 Buckingham Palace fire, 50 soldiers would be required to roll it up and carry it to safety. Read Less