Museum of Lost Objects

Jun 23 2020 21 ep. 25.4k

Museum of Lost Objects Podcast artwork

Tracing the histories of antiquities and landmarks that have been destroyed or looted in Iraq and Syria, India and Pakistan.

Society & Culture History

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Winged Bull of Nineveh

Jun 23 2020 13 mins

The Museum of Lost Objects traces the histories of 10 antiquities or cultural sites that have been destroyed or looted in Iraq and Syria.With hundreds of thousands of lives lost, millions of people displaced and some of the world’s most significant heritage sites destroyed, the wars in Iraq and Syria have had an enormous cost. While the historical artefacts that have been bombed,

The Fire That Scorched Brazil’s History

Aug 31 2019 57 mins

It’s been a year since Brazil’s National Museum burned down in a fire. Not only was its collection one of the most extraordinary in the world, but Brazil’s entire history ran through the museum. On the second floor you could meet the prehistoric skeleton that was the ‘mother’ of all Brazilians; on the third, listen to Amazonian folklore about exploding jaguars; and downst

Tagore’s Nobel Prize Theft

Jul 26 2017 16 mins

Rabindranath Tagore, the celebrated Bengali writer, is one of the greatest figures in modern South Asian history. In 1913, Tagore became the first non-westerner to win a Nobel Prize, but just over a decade ago, his Nobel medal was stolen – and still hasn’t been found. This episode looks at Tagore’s legacy, how his songs and poems are ubiquitous in Bengali life, how he inspire

Jinnah’s Last Home

Jul 25 2017 18 mins

Ziarat Residency was a former sanatorium in the hills of Balochistan, and it’s where Muhammad Ali Jinnah - the founder of Pakistan – spent the last three months of his life. The building acquired great significance after his death – it was even on the 100 rupee note, and was eventually turned into a museum. But just four years ago, Ziarat residency was fire-bombed and burnt t

Delhi’s Stolen Seat of Power

Jul 24 2017 13 mins

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 lost ever since. This episode stretches back to stories of empire well before British rule, and looks

The Keeper of Buddha's Bones

Jul 22 2017 14 mins

The mystery of the 2,000 year old little bronze box, the Kanishka casket, that was said to hold the remains of the Buddha himself. Presented by Kanishk Tharoor Produced by Maryam MarufContributor: Vazira Fazila-Yacoubali Zamindar, Brown UniversityPicture: Replica of the Kanishka casket at the British Museum Credit: BBC

The Cricketer Who Lost His Team

Jul 20 2017 3 mins

Bonus pod! Amir Elahi, the great uncle of Columbia University historian Manan Ahmed, became rivals with his former Indian teammates when he left for Pakistan. Image: Amir Elahi and Dattaram Hindlekar, members of the All-India cricket team, 1936 Credit: Getty Images

Kashmir’s Palladium cinema

Jul 18 2017 29 mins

Kanishk Tharoor explores artefacts and landmarks caught up in India and Pakistan's independence in 1947. In this episode, the life and times of the Palladium cinema. The Palladium was one of Srinagar’s oldest and most popular movie theatres. It was on Lal Chowk, a square in the heart of the city. From the 1940s, the building was the backdrop to many of Kashmir's major political e

The Necklace That Divided Two Nations

Jul 15 2017 22 mins

Seventy years ago, India and Pakistan became independent nations - but at a cost. People and lands were partitioned, and a once shared heritage was broken apart. Kanishk Tharoor explores the tussle for ancient history and the prized artefacts of the Indus Valley civilization. There was a bureaucratic saga over the fates of the priest-king, the dancing girl, and the jade necklace so

Nimrud and Hatra

Jun 10 2017 28 mins

Nimrud is a 3,000 year old archaeological site blown up by the so-called Islamic State. The Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Hossein spent 30 years excavating there, and he goes back for the first time to see what remains. And the story of one Iraqi family who grew up with the temples and talismans of the beautiful, fabled city of Hatra.Including contributions from Layla Salih, Nineveh