writings in the Urdu language of the Muslims of Pakistan and northern India. It is written in the Perso-Arabic script, and, with a few major exceptions, the literature is the work of Muslim writers who take their themes from the life of the Indian subcontinent. Poetry written in Urdu flourished from the 16th century, but no real prose literature developed until the 19th century.

For more on Urdu literature visit: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9074455/Urdu-literature