Dastans were epics, often oral in nature, which were recited or read aloud and in essence were like medieval romances everywhere. Telling tales of adventure, magic, and warfare, Dastans mapped new worlds and horizons, encountered the unseen, and protected the hero through many travails and lovers as he moved on his quest. While Dastans had many principles and many stories, the stories from Tilism-e-Hoshruba began to stand out early on. Amir Hamza, supposedly an uncle of the Prophet Mohammed, was the hero in these dastans which were marked out by fairies, djinns, and prophecies. He is helped by his friends ‘The Ayyars’ who are professional Tricksters and they all together challenge the evil ruler ‘Afrasiyaab’ and his army of ‘Jadugars’ in the magical land of ‘Tilism-e-Hoshruba’.