Busy Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh, extends along the banks of the River Gomti. Once a centre for Urdu poetry and courtly diction, the city's cultural reputation reached its acme during the reign of the last Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah, a connoisseur of music and poetry. It was during his reign that Lucknow - a bystander of those last proud days of Muslim rule in India - and the rest of Oudh were annexed by the British. Today, the city is dotted with faded remnants of its rich historic past, in which the siege of Lucknow during the 1857 Mutiny has given it a special mention in all history books.