205. Babur: The Taking of Delhi

Why did the communists and nationalists join forces with the USSR during the Chinese Civil War? When did the nationalists purge communists in what is known as the “White Terror”? Why did 80,000 communists walk across the country in the “Long March”, and how is this retreat refram ...  Show more

A revolutionary hero or a brutal despot? Mao Zedong has one of the most recognisable portraits on Earth. How did he rise to become the founder of the People’s Republic of China? ** Binge all six episodes of the series on Chairman Mao by joining the Empire Club today at empirepodu ...  Show more

Embark on an epic journey with Tristan Hughes and acclaimed author William Dalrymple as they unravel the enigma of the Kushan Empire, the ancient superpower of Central Asia. Together they tell the riveting stories behind the Empire's rise in Bactria (modern-day Afghanistan), t ...

Mansa Musa's wealth is a thing of legend. It's impossible to know exactly how much he was worth, but he himself spread rumours that gold grew like a plant within the Mali Empire. When he embarked on a storied pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, he gave away so much gold in Egypt that ...

In March 1739, the Persian warlord Nader Shah laid siege to Delhi. He destroyed and plundered the city. Among his ‘Delhi loot’ was the famous Jeweled or Peacock Throne of the Mughal Empire. It took seven years to make, and seven elephants to cart it away forever - and it's been l ...  Show more

The story of one neighbourhood in Aleppo, and how it changed the lives of two Syrians caught up in the war.Zahed Tajeddin is a sculptor and archaeologist whose family have lived in Aleppo for generations. He owned a beautiful medieval courtyard house in a neighbourhood called Jud ...  Show more