Persian-learner's copy of the story. In some sections, the story appears on rectos, and glosser terms in Persian and English appear on the facing verso (f. 1v-9v); in other sections, the story appears on both recto and verso, with vocabulary items annotated in English in the margin (f. 46-113).
An Arabic-Persian dictionary arranged alphabetically by last root letter; a few leaves missing at the front and the back; the last section being "Faṣl al-mīm" inside of "Bāb al-wāw wa-al-yāʼ".
Astrological tables written for the reign of Fatḥ-ʻAlī Shāh of the Qajar dynasty. The text has been rebound and is missing the end; flyleaves have been remounted and are covered in pen tests.
A wedding invitation to celebrate the marriage of Aḥmad ʻAlī Khān Bahādur addressed to Dr. George Ranken of the East India Company and his wife Lady Agnes Allan Ranken. The invitation is on red paper, written in Persian, and the script in painted gold leaf. Accompanied by an envelope with a personal stamp of the sender addressed to Dr. Ranken.
Manual of arithmetic and geometry for merchants' use including how to calculate the area of a ship. According to the compiler, the work includes excerpts from the following texts: Muntakhab al-ḥisāb, Līlāvatī, and Dastūr al-ʻamal.
Selections from the Bhāgavatapurāṇa. Text begins with invocation to Krishna and Ganesha in Sanskrit transliterated into Persian. Some pages are missing.
Compostite manuscript written in at least three hands and on more than one type of paper containing eight treatises on astronomy and arithmetic with an introduction; diagrams within and between the works. Some of the works are dedicated to Muḥammad Valī Mīrzā, the third son of Fatḥ ʻAlī Shāh Qajar (see for example, f. 171v, 279r).
Collection of Persian poetry with an introductory table of contents by Saʻīd Nafīsī, a former owner (p.1). Several leaves copied by Nafīsī and inserted. They include two poems by Ḥāfiẓ (p. 156); 12 pages containing poems from the margins of a copy of Khusraw Dihlavī (p.197b-197l); and two poems missing from the Dīvān of Ḥakīm Tirmiz̲ī (unnumbered page after p. 259).
Collection of astronomical works by Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī, which include material on sunset and sunrise, the size of the earth, the moon, the distance to the moon, the distance between the sun and the planets, movement of the spheres, and eclipses. Some marginal notes in another hand, affected by trimming.
Copy of a treatise on different calendars and how to convert them one to another and the revolution of heavenly bodies and their impact on different days of the year.
Deccani portrait album beginning with the Mughal emperors, proceeding to the Deccani kings, then closing with the Safavid shahs; the images are labeled in Persian in the lower corner with Latin script titles added near the shoulder of each person. Possibly produced during the reign of Abul Hasan Qutb Shah (r. 1672-1687) the last ruler of the Golconda sultanate. The album is bound to be viewed left to right; probably for export to Europe.
Devotional book containing selections from the Qurʼān, beginning with Sūrat Yūsuf and ending with a prayer. The entire text is written inside gilt pear-shapes with illuminated margins.
Selections from two poets including qaṣāʼid, ghazalīyāt, rubāʼiyāt and muqaṭṭiʻāt; two leaves are replacement leaves and are quite brittle and damaged (f. 45-46); some leaves missing from the end; dampstaining throughout.
Collection of poetry by ʻUrfī Shīrāzī, begins abruptly; includes sections called Qaṣāʼid afṣaḥ al-mutaqaddimīn wa-al-mutaʼakhirīn, Muqaṭṭaʻāt, Rubāʻīyāt, Javāb-i Makhzan, Sāqīʹnāmah and Qaṣīdat Mawlanā ʻAmīdī, another section of praise poetry labeled by individual is also included; some of the titles were added by a later hand. A number of headpiece decorations and detailed marginal doodles were also added by a later hand.
Red and orange painting of three figures mounted in a wooden frame painted red with decorated corners and attached to a folding metal stand. The image depicts a man, seated on the right in an enclosed garden setting, gesturing toward a kneeling, beardless youth holding a large basin; behind the youth, a standing woman holds a vine; a rubāʻī is written in the lower section of the painting. On the back, an orange mandorla with two pendants on the vertical axis surrounded by flowers in shades of orange and red.
Copy, somewhat damaged by worms, of a poem describing the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and some practices and customs of the pilgrimage; illustrated with 12 simple drawings, chiefly in blue, red, green.
Genealogical tables of the Prophets, followed by Eastern and Persian dynasties up to Fatḥ-ʻAlī Shah of the Qajar dynasty. The author says this work is based on an abridged Turkish translation he saw of a Persian text by Yūsuf ibn ʻAbd al-Laṭīf called Tavārīkh va siyar-i anbiyā va akhbār-i sulūk-i mulūk. Since the Persian had been lost, but the Turkish text was recognized as being a translation from Persian, it was decided to translate it back into Persian (f. 1v). The copy then seems to have been expanded to include up to the second Qajar ruler.
Copy of a work on occult or hidden sciences (al-ʻulūm al-gharībah); 17 leaves attached to the manuscript with similar information added in different hands; numerous notes and marginal comments.
Lacunose 16th-century copy of a 12th-century romance about the life of Bahrām Gūr, a 5th-century king of Iran; its title (in English, Seven beauties or Seven images) refers to the seven princesses that Bahrām marries, each of whom tells the king a story as part of the narrative.
An illustrated translation into Persian of a collection of stories of the patriarchs and prophets from the creation to the time of Muḥammad. This collection begins by saying the translation was requested by the (fictitious) Sulṭān Ghiyāth al-Dīn Muẓaffar Khān.
Second volume of the history of Jahangir and his predecessors, containing a history of Emperor Akbar. This volume begins with the ascension of Akbar and continues through the 45th year of his reign. 54 illustrations; partially rubricated.
Tables used in an astrological technique for determining auspicious times for carrying out various activities. Also includes geographical illustrations and diagrams and half of a horoscope diagram for a location in northern Afghanistan dated Friday, 27 Shawwāl 912 (12 March 1507).
Summary of the branches of knowledge, including the Qurʼān, ḥadīth, and history of Islam; grammar, rhetoric, and logic; medicine, anatomy, and pharmacology; gems and talismans; agriculture and veterinary science; geometry, geodesy, weight, arithmetic, and algebra; music; astronomy, astrology, and magic; theology, ethics, and political science. Marginal notes in a later hand. Pages missing at beginning and end.
Neatly written, illustrated copy containing sections from all 5 works; begins abruptly; some illustrations and headpieces have been removed, so text is also missing.