Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 284Origin: Lacks dated colophon ; paper, decoration, patronage, etc. would suggest mid 19th century. Inscription on front flyleaf and preface (fol.1a-1b/p.1-2) indicates that the composition was completed in the era of Muḥammad Shāh Qājār (r.1834-1848) under the patronage and direction of Ṣadr al-Mamālik Mīrzā Naṣr Allāh Ardabīlī (d.1854 or 5 ?).Accompanying materials: Slip of wove paper with inscription in pencil "284 | Intikhāb az Dīvan | Ḳaṣā'id Anvari. | Selections from | kasidahs of Anvari | early 19th cent."Binding: Pasteboards covered in dark brown leather (sheep) ; Type III binding (without flap) ; board linings in untinted paper ; upper and lower covers bear blind-tooled border consisting of a series of s-shaped stamps ; resewn making it difficult to assess the original sewing ; very fine chevron endbands in magenta and green ; in fair condition with much abrasion, even gashes, on covers ; spine leather is abraded, dry and cracking ; moisture damage ; much staining and general wear ; cover is beginning to detach from textblock at spine.Support: European laid papers of a few types ; table of contents in European laid paper with chain lines running vertically spaced roughly 23 mm. apart, laid lines running horizontally spaced roughly 11-12 laid lines per cm., watermark circle with "IP" inside, orb and eagle above, in final folio of table of contents, watermark partially visible "...RTTI [?]" ; early through mid quires in European machine 'laid' paper, chain lines running vertically spaced roughly 28 mm. apart, watermark "ALMASSO" and "GIOR MAGNANI" with scrollwork with eagle above tower (compare Heawood 3748) ; roughly last ten quires (from p.805) in European machine 'laid' paper, chain lines running vertically spaced roughly 27mm. apart, watermark "POLLERI" and stag leaping above pond (stag springing or salient, or even courant), antlers in two lines.Decoration: Magnificent illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān) on incipit page consisting of rectangular panel with gold cartouche carrying the section title "انتخاب از دیوان قصاید انوری" bordered by an extremely elaborate frame forming a well filled with row upon row of semi-circular (dome) motifs accented by floral decoration (in red, orange, pink, blue, and white) and arabesque on fields of lapis lazuli and gold ; simple but compound frame consisting of various gold bands outlined by black fillets, second (bordering the margins) and third rules at some distance from the first ; on incipit and facing page, decorative vegetal border (arabesque) in gold surrounding columns of text ; cloud-bands in gold on incipit and facing page ; a few textual dividers looking like numeral khamsah ; floral decoration in ruled margin of incipit and facing page ; now illustrated with four miniature paintings, likely added later and obscuring text beneath, including: on fol.141a (p.281) scene showing pig herder with dog and pigs, in background church and astonished onlookers [2] on fol.211b (p.422) a hunting scene [3] on fol.276b (p.552) white-bearded man in the mountains with lion or leopard [4] on fol.320b (p.640) two men engaged in discourse ; section headings, keywords, and entries in table of contents rubricated. ; overlining and textual dividers in red.Script: Nastaʻlīq ; bold clear Persian hand ; characteristic descent of words to baseline though not heavily exaggerated ; contrast in thick and thin strokes, horizontal strokes quite heavy ; sans serif ; characteristic letterforms ; text of fol.473b-474a (p.946-47) in Arabic, supplied in a fine ىaskh, mainly serifless except for occasional alif of lam alif ligature, quite vertical, occasional sweeping descenders, fully vocalized.Layout: Written in 18 lines per page in the central column, 25-28 lines on the diagonal in the ruled margins ; single column often divided to two columns for setting off poetry, surrounded by margin ruled decoratively on the diagonal ; frame-ruled.Collation: iii, I(2), 17 IV(138), III (144), 12 IV(240), IV+2(250), 29 IV(482), iii ; chiefly quaternions ; catchwords present in the lower left of the lower ruled margin, rarely slanting down ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during cataloguing.Dedication: As attested in inscription on front flyleaf and in preface appearing before table of contents, composed under the patronage and direction of Mīrzā Naṣr Allāh Ardabīlī (d.1271 or 2 / 1854 or 5 ?), a Niʻmatallāhī dervish who also bore the title Nuṣratʻalī and was appointed to the office of Ṣadr al-Mamālik in 1259 [1843] (see Sefatgol, "The Safavid Model of State-Religious Administration," 78-79).Explicit: " کای عمر تباه کتا پیشه تا چند زنی تو بپا تیشه شد عمر تو شصت و همان پستی وز باده ی لهو و لعب مستی "Incipit: "حمد و سپاس و لغات لحنات [؟] ستایش بیقیاس شایسته اوراق مدایح خداوند یکانه و سزادار صحایف اوصاف معبود یست ... ای قاعده تازه ز دست تو کرم را دیمرتبه تو زبان تو قلم را"Title from inscription on front flyleaf and preface on fol.1a-1b (p.1-2).Ms. codex.Fine copy of a work of selections from the works of various Persian poets, referred to as a taz̲kirah but more in the style of a jung, compiled under the patronage and direction of Mīrzā Naṣr Allāh Ardabīlī (d. 1854 or 5) by ʻAlī Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Hamadānī. Opens with selections from Anvarī (d. 1189 or 90).
Master Microform held by: DLC Inscriptions on front and back covers: [tughra] el-Müstenid bi-tevfikât ir-Rabbâniye, Melik üd-Devlet-il-aliyet-il-Osmaniye, es-Sultan ibn us-Sultan is-Sultan el-Gazi Abdülhamid / Han-i Sâni Hazretlerinin taraf-i eşref-i mülukânelerinden / Vaşingtonda Meclis-i Mebusân azasından Mösyö / Hewit hazretlerinin marifetile Muctema-yi Amerika Kütüphane-yi Milliye ihda buyurulmuştur 1302-1884 = Gift made by H.I. M. the Sultan / Abdul-Hamid II. / to the national library of the / United States of America / through the Honorable / A.S. Hewitt / member / of the House of Representatives / in Washington / A.H.1302-1884 A.D. = Don fait par S.M.I le Sultan / Abdul-Hamid II / à la Bibliothèque nationale / des États-Unis d'Amérique / par l'entremise de l'honorable / Mr. A.S. Hewitt / membre / de la Chambre des Représentants / a Washington / A.H. 1302-1884 A.D. Özege, M.S. Eski harflerle, 23855 Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. Microfilm. Washington, D.C., United States Library of Congress, [19--]. 1 reel, 34 mm. Turkish in Arabic script. Turkish and Persian; commentary in Turkish. Record based on source data supplied by New York University. Original pagination: 355 pages ;27 cm
This codex is undated, but the only stamp is dated 1311/1893-4. The cover design seems to have been done in the 19th century.Exquisite codex assembled from painted and laquered board, which features the same realistic rose design on both covers. Spine is of plain leather. Both inside covers contain crude paintings of yellow flowers (daffodils?). Pages are bordered in gold paint. Chapter titles are written in red ink upon gilded designs, accompanied by colorful designs. Initial page with frontispiece with title is elaboritely decorated with gold paint and colorful designs. Both the main Persian text and Arabic prayers are written in black ink in tawki (or possibly thulth) script; Persian translation of prayers is written in red ink in nastaʻlīq script directly beneath the prayers.Prayers and pious observances for shiʻīs on ordinary and special days throughout the year according to the practice of the Imams. This book is largely divided into sections dealing with specific months of the year. The work is extracted from the author's large work, Bahār al-Anwār. The main body of the text is in Persian; the prayers themselves are in Arabic, with Persian translation.
A biography of Naqshabandi shaykh Khvājah Isḥāq, written by a disciple of his.Written in one column, 13 lines per page, in black rubricated in red.MS Persian 95. Houghton Library, Harvard University.In Persian.Electronic reproduction. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard College Library Digital Imaging Group, 2008. (Open Collections Program at Harvard University. Islamic Heritage Project).
Medical encyclopedia in 9 books, with discussions of physiology, anatomy, pathology, diagnosis, fevers, specific diseases, surgery, fractures, poisons, and antidotes. Includes indexes, although some leaves are missing. Most leaves re-margined with pink paper; a few leaves have original margins and extensive marginal notes or commentary (f. 255v-261r).
Manuscript. Persian. Title supplied by cataloger. Written by Mīrzā Muḥammad Shīrāzī. Gift of Amir Jafar and Parvindokt Hasheminejad, donated by their son, Mehdi Hasheminejad, item belonged to Amir Jafar Hasheminejad's collection and originated from Qajar era minister, Mehdi Lahooti, Badaye Negar's holdings. May 31, 2019. Written in Iran. Paper; polished, cream color commercial paper with no visible watermarks; black ink with rubrication; catchwords. Naskh; 15 lines in written area 12 x 5.5 cm. Fol. 1b-51b. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, [unnumbered]. Binding; cloth reinforced lavender and black marbled paper.
Manuscript. Persian. Title supplied by cataloger. Scribes not identified. Written in India. Paper; coarse, cream color laid paper with no visible chain lines or watermarks; black ink with rubrication on some texts; catchwords. Work contiains: [1]. A collection of letters and notes by Muhammad Bahadur Shah II, King of Delhi, 1775-1862 (dated 1855) -- [2]. Unidentified historical treatise (undated) -- [3]. One leaf numbered leaf 20 from an unidentified work -- [4]. Daftar-i avval from the Mukātabāt-i ʻAllāmī by Akbar, Emperor of Hindustan, 1542-1605 (dated 1257 [1841 or 1842]). Nastaʻliq; various lines in written areas of varying size. Fol. 1a-39a, 1a-117b, 1 leaf, fol. 1b-125a. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M96. [Other physical details, binding] Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
Collection of texts in Persian and Arabic, mostly unidentified, two works with titles are Bayaẓ-i Adʻiyah in praise of the Mogul hero Muḥammad Bahādūr Sirāj al-Dīn; and the other, al-Majlisī's Ḥulyat al-muttaqīn
Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. Manuscript. Persian. Title based on comparison with other copies. Scribe not identified. Gift of Cyrus Ebrahim Zadeh, Nov. 9, 2009. Written in Iran? Paper: yellowish, polished cream color laid paper with vertical chain line and no visible watermarks; black ink; catchwords. Folio 59 on modern paper, with inscription in purple ink, dated 29/9/1332 [December 1, 1953]. Nastaʻliq; 12 lines in written area 11 x 7 cm. Folio 1a-131b (incomplete). Library of Congress. Manuscript, [unnumbered]. Binding: Modern cardboard with gray stone motif.
Manuscript. Persian. Title determined by comparison with editions of Saʻdī's Gulistān. Written by ʻAbd al-Bārī Muḥammad Maḥmūd Lārī. Probably written in Iran. Date from colophon written in pencil in a later hand. Paper: cream colored lighly polished laid paper with no visible chain-lines or watermarks; unwan in gold, blue, red, white and green; text enclosed blue and gold ruled border; black ink with rubrication; some marginal corrections; catchwords on rectos. Nastaʻliq; 11 lines in written area 11.5 x 5.7 cm. Fol. 1b-160a. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M83. Contemporary dark brown leather envelope binding with elaborate gold embossed design covering most of the front and back covers and flap. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website. Explicit/Colophon: ... كتبه العبد البارى محمد محمود لاري عفو عنه.
Manuscript. Persian; first 67 leaves have Turkish translation and there is a brief poem in Ottoman Turkish at end. Title based on comparison with printed editions of Saʻdī's Gulistān. Name of scribe not indicated. Probably written in Iran. Paper; cream color lightly polished laid paper with horizontal chain lines and no visible watermarks; black ink with rubrication; manuscript is incomplete lacking an unknown number of leaves at the beginning; leaves 1a-67b have interlinear Turkish translation and extensive marginal notes; catchwords. Nastaʻliq; 13 lines in written area Fol. 1a-134a, 2 leaves. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript. Contemporary brown leather binding with embossed center medallions.
Manuscript. Persian. Title supplied from container. Scribe not identified. Written in India? Paper; thin, lightly polished laid paper with vertical laid lines and no visible chain lines or watermarks; elaborate floral carpet page in blue, gold, pink, and black surrounded by three borders: the outer of a gold floral design, the next of a repeating design in blue and gold and the inner of a floral design of repeating flowers in alternating rose and pink on a gold background; remainder of text has outer ruled bord of thin blue, white, gold, red and dark blue; text block within ruled border in blue, white, red, blue, a wider floral border and an inner border of blue and red; sections separated by a horizontal block in gold; hemistichs divided by a wide dark blue vertical divider with gold highlighting; black ink; catchwords. Nastaʻlīq; 15 lines in written area 13 x 6.2 cm. Numerous miniatures throughout the text. Fol. 1b-466b (incomplete) Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M19. Binding; disbound; text block and many pages loose in remainder of binding which is brown leather; spine lacking. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
Son of a Scottish military adventurer and a woman of the Indian martial nobility, James Skinner (1778-1841) became a famous soldier with his private regiment Skinner Horse, which still continues in the Indian Army. He was a fluent writer in Persian, the prestige language of India in his day, and composed his "Kitab-i tasrih al-aqvam" (History of the Origin and Distinguishing Marks of the Different Castes of India), given by James S. Collins of Pennsylvania to the Rosenwald Collection. The castes presented here are Khattris, nobles who converted from Hinduism to Islam and who function as lawyers and judges. This particular Khattri seems comfortable and benevolent, and is blessed with a son or student fiercely attentive to his dictation. The style is of the Company School, paintings made by local artists combining Mogul traditions with a minute realism to record people and natural history for staff members of the British East India Company which was taking over India.
Title supplied by cataloger.من كلام امير المؤمنين عل عليه السلام فكم الله من لطف خفي يدق خفاه عن فهم ... :First sentence23 calligraphic compositions.Mostly written in two columns, 6-7 lines per page, in black. Illuminated frames.MS Persian 34. Houghton Library, Harvard University.In Persian.
Manuscript. Persian. Title based on comparison with printed edtions. Name of scribe not indicated. Probably written in Turkey. Papaer; light cream color lightly polished laid paper with horizontal chain lines and no visible watermarks; text enclosed in and divided by single red lines; gold unwan; black ink with section headings in red ink; catchwords. Manuscript appears to be unfinished as section titles end at the first section on fol. 17a; blank section dividision title box blank through the rest of the work. Naskh; 17 lines in written area 12.3 x 6.7 cm. Fol. 1b-29a. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M129. Contemporary deep red morocco Turkish binding with gold borders and center gold medallion. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
Manuscript. Persian Title from container. Written by Salmān Bint ʻAlī Pāshā. Written in India or Turkey. Paper; heavy, reinforced laid paper with vertical chain lines and no visible watermarks; sections contining lines of poetry are inlaid; text enclosed in a ruled border of thin blue, wider gold and a very wide greenish blue border; verses are divided by a similar wide greenish line and each verse block is also outlined in gold; margins ard dyed reddish with dark flecks; black ink. Nastaʻliq; 2 lines in written area 4.7 x 10.7 cm. Fol. 1b-14b Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M161. Binding; contemporary leather accordion binding; leaves written on one side only. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
Manuscript. Persian and Arabic. Title devised by cataloger. Written in Iran. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M207. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
Manuscript. Arabic and Persian. Title supplied by cataloger. Written by Aḥmad al-Nayrīzī. Written in Iran. Paper; thin, cream color polished paper with no watermarks; elaborate floral unwan in gold, black, blue and red; fol. 1b and 2a have gold floral design in borders; in remainder of the work, the text is enclosed in an elaborate ruled border of blue, gold, red and blue; the text has an interlinear Persian translation in red ink from the beginning to the end of Sūrat al-Baqarah, 278; verses separated by gold medallions; black ink; catchwords. Naskh; 12 lines in written area 25 x 13.5 cm. Fol. 1b-336b. Library of Congress. Arabic manuscript, M132. Binding is black laquer with orangish gold floral designs; border around center panel contains Qur'anic verses. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website. Explicit/Colophon: حرره الداعي لابود الدولة القاهرة الماهرة احمد النيريزي في 1120.
Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. Manuscript. Arabic and Persian. Title supplied by cataloger. Written by "Ibn ʻAlī". Gift of Cyrus Ebrahim Zadeh, Nov. 9, 2009. Written in Iran? Text proceeded by 2 lithographed fragments pasted front and back; the second one, facing first page of manuscript, is lithograph of Sūrat al-fātiḥah from unidentified edition of the Qurʼān. Paper: yellowish, polished cream color laid paper with horizontal chain line and no visible watermarks; black ink with rubrication; interlinear Persian translation in cursive Naskh; catchwords. Naskh; 11 lines in written area 15.5 x 9 cm. Folio 1b-337a; 337b-338 notes and a poem. Library of Congress. Manuscript, [unnumbered]. Binding: black leather with embossed gold center medallions front and back, spine repaired, rebacked in tan leather.
Manuscript. Persian. Title supplied by cataloger. Colophon: ʻAbd al-Rashīd al-Daylamī. Written in India. Paper; thick, cream color oriental paper; black ink; decorated unwan on fol. 1b in blue and gold; six lines to the page; text of each line in text-box alternatingly aligned right and left; entire text within an outer gold border near the page edges; and a second smaller gold border surrounding the text proper; each text line is separated be a blank space within the borders defined by the text boxes; catchwords on rectos. Nastaʼliq; 6 lines in written area 13.5 x 9.2 cm. Folios 1b-14b. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript [number]. Modern tan leather binding with center medallions back and front; remains of original binding preserved in box with manuscript. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website. Explicit/Colophon: حرره عبد الرشيد الديلمي.
Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. Manuscript. Persian and Arabic. Title supplied by cataloger. Gift of Cyrus Ebrahim Zadeh, Nov. 9, 2009. Written in India? Paper: yellowish, polished cream color commercial paper with no visible watermarks; black ink; catchwords. Naskh; 15 lines in written area 15 x 9 cm. Folio 1b-119b. Library of Congress. Manuscript, [unnumbered]. Binding: brown leather, spine repaired, rebacked in Morocco leather. With: Kirmānī, Muḥammad Karīm Khān. Kitāb-i mustaṭāb-i Sulṭānīyah. Bumbay : Dādūmiyān Dahāyilī, 1277 [1861]. Bound together subsequent to publication.
This treatise discusses different aspects of the art of versification, including meters, verses, letters, syllables, patterns of rhythm, and other topics relating to the poetic arts in early modern Persian poetry. The author, who is identified on folio 2, Mahmud ibn ʻUmar al-Najati al-Nisaburi (died 1328), is also known as Hamid al-Din Mahmud bin ʻUmar Nijati Nishapuri. No information exists about his place and date of birth or about his death. He is known to have produced a translation of and commentary on Tārīkh-i Utubi, also known as Tārīkh-i Yamīnī (History of Yamini), an early 11th-century courtly chronicle recounting the political and military events of the early Ghaznavid sultans, especially of Sultan Mahmud (died 1030). Where and when this manuscript was made are unclear, but its calligraphic style and clear prose nastaʻliq script suggest that it could have been written in the 15th-16th centuries somewhere in the Persianate world, e.g., India, Afghanistan, Iran, or somewhere in Islamic Central Asia. The manuscript is organized around a five-line eulogistic note (folio 1) praising and thanking God, an eight-page preface (folios 1-8), and the main contents. In the preface, the author discusses Persian poetry and the usefulness of a treatise on Persian prosody, briefly touching upon the names and works of earlier prosodists, such as the 12th century al-Ustad al-Mutarzi al-Ganji (folios 4-5). He also mentions the relationship between holidays and festivities, such as Nawruz (Persian New Year) and the Islamic festival of Eid, and the composition of poetry. The main contents start on folio 9. The first two poetic verses discussed (folios 9-15 and 16-17) are from a famous longer qasidah (poem) of al-Ustad al-Murtarzi al-Ganji (also known as Qavami Ganjavai), said to exemplify the composition of a studious, elegant, and meaningful qasidah and the technical and conceptual contents of the first two lines of a long poem (referred to in Arabic and Persian poetic sciences as Husn-i Mutala-e and Nik Aghazi, (literally, "elegant beginning")). In addition to Husn-i Mutala-e, other technical aspects of prosody, such as meter and repetition, are discussed throughout the treatise. Although the work is written in Persian, the language is filled with dense Arabic grammar and vocabulary. All the poems discussed in the text have subheadings that appear in bold red font, indicating the author or the theme being discussed; the headings are always written in Arabic, while the discussion is in Persian. The paper is thin and light-cream colored. Chain lines run vertically and horizontally in a random manner throughout the text. The manuscript is written in black ink with rubrication; folio 1 is elaborately decorated in blue and gold. The writing is enclosed in thin gold borders edged in black. Two lines of an Ottoman Turkish poem appear at the end of the manuscript, although there is no evidence to suggest that these two lines are original; they might be a later addition, as might the title of the manuscript that appears on the flyleaf. There is no pagination. World Digital Library. Unnamed work on prosody by Maḥmūd ibn ʻUmar al-Najātī al-Nīsābūrī.
This manuscript in Persian is an untitled Sufi text on meditation containing both poetry and prose. It was completed in early 1520, probably in Herat (present-day Afghanistan) or Mashhad (present-day Iran). The colophon, which is in Arabic, gives the name of the scribe, Mīr 'Alī Ḥusaynī Haravī (circa 1476-1543). The manuscript is on a firm cream-colored paper inlaid into light cream (folios 1-8) or pale greenish-blue margin paper, with the writing enclosed within alternating gold and cream (or green) bands with black ruling. The margin paper is profusely decorated with floral and animal motifs. The text is in nastalīq script, eight lines to the page. The binding is contemporary leather with medallions. A former owner's stamp appears on folio 1a. Sufism, a mystical and introspective interpretation of Islam that emerged after the initial spread of the religion, combines Islamic teachings with gnosticism. The practice embraced the idea of enlightenment through spiritual knowledge, informed by pre-Islamic Greek, Zoroastrian, and Indian spiritual practices. By the 13th century, Sufi thought in the Persian-speaking world was expressed primarily through poetry or in poetic works of prose, such as this treatise. World Digital Library. Untitled Sufi text on meditation containing both poetry and prose.
Manuscript. Persian. Title supplied by cataloger. Scribe not identified. Written in Central Asia. Paper; lightly polished cream color laid paper with very faint horizontal chain lines on some pages and no visible watermarks; elaborate floral unwan in gold, blue and red with pinkish flowers; text enclosed in ruled border of blue, gold, red and blue; text is divided into hemistichs separated by wide columns which vary in color but are primarily reddish coral color; margins of all facing pages have floral designs in various colors which vary from page to page; black ink with elaborate section titles. Nastaʻliq; 14 lines in written area 15 x 7.5 cm. Fol. 1b-102a. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M39. Modern dark brown leather binding with embossed center medallions front and back. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
This Persian manuscript dated 1025 AH (1616) contains two works on prosody by Nūr al-Dīn 'Abd al-Rahmān Jāmī (1414-92), as well as an incomplete, anonymous work on astronomy. Jāmī was a great poet, scholar, and mystic who lived most of his life in Herat, present-day Afghanistan. The 69 leaves of the manuscript are on a variety of papers: thin, pink-colored laid paper (folios 1a-31b); cream-colored laid paper (folios 32a-35b); pink-colored laid paper (folios 36a-37b); cream-color laid paper (folios 38a-40b); light-green-colored laid paper (folios 41a-45b); tan unpolished paper (folios 46a-53b); orange-to-rose-colored unpolished paper (folios 54a-61b); and dark-yellow-colored paper (folios 62a-69b). The text is in a nastaʻliq script, but different numbers of lines are used in different parts of the manuscript: 14 lines (folios 1b-40b), 10 lines (folios 41a-45b), and 12 lines (folios 46a-69b). Certain pages have circular figures showing classical poetic metrical schemes. The binding is newer, in a flexible leather without ornamentation. World Digital Library. Two works on prosody by the poet Jāmī, 1414-1492; and an incomplete, anonymous work on astronomy.
Composite volume containing two manuscripts on drugs.Contents:(1) Isfarāyīnī, Muḥammad (إسفراييني، محمد),
Taqwīm al-adwīyah(تقويم العدوية; ff. 1r-135v);(2) Taqī al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Ṣadr al-Dīn ‘Alī (تقي الدين محمد ابن صدر الدين علي), Treatise on drugs (ff. 136r-237v).Codex; ff. i+237+iMaterial: 1r-135v: Eastern laid paper; 136r-237v: Western laid paperDimensions: 275 x 155 mm leaf [1r-135v: 170 x 85 mm written (untabulated folios), 136r-237v: 165 x 90 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencilRuling: 1r-135v: no ruling visible, 14 lines per page, vertical spacing 9 lines per 10 cm; 136r-237v (untabulated folios):
Misṭarah, 19 lines per page, vertical spacing 12 lines per 10 cmScript: 1r-135v:
Nasta‘līq; the scribe is Ibn ‘Abd Allāh Abū al-Ḥasan al-Shīrāzī (ابن عبد الله أبو الحسن الشيرازي, see colophon, f. 134r, lines 8-9); 136r-237v:
Nasta‘līqInk: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings in redDecoration: 1r-135v: illuminated opening (ff. 3v-4r) with head piece in blue and gold with floral and foliate design in red, yellow, green and white, floral and foliate pattern in gold, blue green and red in margins and between lines of text; subsequent folia framed in blue and gold; 136r-237v: all folia framed in blue, red, and goldBinding: British Museum red buckram binding; leather covers of previous binding of red leather with multicoloured medallion and pendants pasted to inside current right and left boardsCondition: Minor tidemarks to lower edge corners towards front and back of volume; lower edge corners of ff. 134 and 135 mutilated and repairedMarginalia: Very fewSeals: 3r, 40r, 134r, 135r
Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 448Origin: Lacks dated colophon ; decoration, hand, paper, etc. would suggest 16th century.Accompanying materials: Slip of wove paper with notes in pencil "448 (Kasidat) al-Burdah Poem by al-Busiri 16th cent."Former shelfmark: "239 T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" inscribed in pencil on recto of front flyleaf ; "122" inscribed in pencil on 'title page.'Binding: Pasteboards covered in dark red leather ; Type II binding (with flap) ; board linings and narrow hinges in pale orange laid paper ; upper and lower covers carry central rectangular panel filled with gold-tooled and painted semé pattern as well as further accents in gold-tooled rosettes and border consisting of a series of s-shaped stamps with flanking gold-painted fillets ; now sewn in pink thread, two stations ; worked chevron endbands in pink and yellow, fairly good condition ; overall in good condition minor abrasion, etc.Support: non-European (likely Persianate) laid paper with 6-7 laid lines per cm. (vertical, somewhat distinct) and occasional single chain line visible, thick and sturdy, well-burnished, dark cream in color ; flyleaves and added leaves in European laid paper with 9 laid lines per cm. (vertical), chain lines spaced 26-27 mm. apart (horizontal), and watermark of bird with "G B" below ; much staining and tidelines.Decoration: Exquisite (though damaged) frontispiece consisting of a double-page illumination carries the opening verses and elucidation in Persian set-off by cloud-bands, with adjacent scalloped triangular piece (or hasp), elaborate borders (outermost accented with perpendicular stalks [tīgh]), and upper and lower panels all carrying swirling vegetal design in shades of red, blue, lavender, green, white, and gold on fields of black, gold, and lapis lazuli ; written area throughout surrounded by frame in gold and green bands with outermost blue rule ; text of the Burdah mainly chrysographed, with some lines in blue ; textual dividers in the form of illuminated rosettes set off each hemistich ; illuminated floral decoration flanks elucidation in Persian.Script: Naskh and nastaʻlīq (talik) ; elegant Persianate and Turkish hands ; text of Burdah in a fine Persianate naskh, serifless, with curvilinear descenders and pointing in distinct dots, vocalized ; text of Persian elucidation in a fine nastaʻlīq with characteristic descent of words to baseline and elongation of horizontal strokes ; marginal Turkish elucidation in an elegant nastaʻlīq (talik).Layout: Written in 12 lines per page with 6 additional lines of the Turkish elucidation on the diagonal in the outer margin ; three verses of the poem in 6 lines (filling the column width) with each saṭr and ʻajuz to a line) and elucidation in 6 lines (four on the diagonal, two horizontal but centered).Collation: ii, IV-1+1 (8), 2 IV(24), II+2 (30), ii ; almost exclusively quaternions ; catchwords present.Explicit: " ... واطرب العيس حادي العين بالنغم ... تا برانند اشترانرا بنده گان پر نغم ... اشترمتسه طرب ويردكجه تأثير نغم تم الترجمة بالخير م م"Incipit: "امن تذكر جيران بذي سلم مزجت دمعا جرى من مقلة بدم ای زیاد صحبت یارانت اندر ذی سلم اشک چشم امیختی با خون روان گرده بهم ..."Title supplied by cataloguer.Ms. codex.Fine copy of al-Būṣīrī's poem in praise of the Prophet accompanied by elucidation in Persian and Turkish.
Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 292Origin: As appears in final colophon at close of sixth daftar on p.614, copied by ʻAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad al-Fasāyī [al-Fasāʼī, reading first supplied in note by Muhammad Isa Waley dated May 1980 on catalogue card] with transcription completed Jumādá II 1243 [December 1827]. As appears in colophon on p.99, transcription of first daftar completed 1 Rabīʻ II (presumably of 1243 [ca. 22 October 1827]). As appears in colophon on p.299, transcription of third daftar completed in the latter part of Jumādá I 1243 [December 1827]. As appears on p.499, transcription of fifth daftar completed Jumādá I 1243 [December 1827].Former shelfmark: "174 T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" inscribed in pencil on recto of opening leaf (p.1) ; "50 / 12" in brown ink on recto of opening leaf (p.1) ; "١" in pencil on recto of opening leaf (p.1).Binding: Heavy pasteboards covered in painted lacquerwork with spine in red leather ; Type III binding (without flap) ; likely two-piece binding ; doublures in fine painted lacquerwork with floral composition of three large blooms rising from a rooted stalk with leaves, all in gold on a red ground ; upper and lower covers carry central rectangular panel in brown with bronze flecks surrounded by borders of stalks and rules in bronze-gold as well as a band of delicate vegetal motifs with birds and fruits in shades of green, blue, white, red and orange ; sewn in yellow thread, two stations, reinforcements in dark blue thread ; worked chevron endbands in pink and yellow, good condition ; overall in fairly good condition with some abrasion, minor losses of laquer, etc. ; slightly ill-fitting and perhaps not original.Support: non-European (likely Persian) laid paper with 10 laid lines per cm. (horizontal, quite distinct, some curving) and no chain lines plainly visible, transluscent and crisp though dense and sturdy, well-burnished to glossy, gray in color ; some cockling and creasing.Decoration: Exquisite illuminated double-page opening (with illuminated headpiece / ʻunwān / sarlawḥ, gold cloud-bands and illuminated marginal decoration) at opening of each daftar (pp.6-7, 102-103, 188-189, 302-303, 394-395, 502-503), each unique but mainly involving rectangular piece with empty gold cartouche surmounted by rich well with w-shaped piece or dome set down in filled with floral vegetal decorations in shades of pink, orange, white, blue, yellow, and red on grounds of gold and dark blue and marginal decoration of saz leaves and floral forms chiefly in gold with red and blue accents ; preface to each daftar set in almond shaped medallion outlined in red rules ; written area surrounded by gold frame with outermost blue rule (divisions within defined by narrow gold bands outlined in black) ; keywords and headings rubricated or in blue ink.Script: Naskh ; compact Persianate hand in a medium line ; chiefly serifless with fairly straight and vertical ascenders, pointing in combination of distinct (two dots, one above the other) and conjoined dots (three dots, two conjoined and third above), adhering to baseline, curvilinear descenders (some sweeping dramatically), ascender of kāf often curved back with shaqq / sarkash gently curving up, partially vocalized.Layout: Written in 25 lines per page with written area divided to four columns ; frame-ruled.Collation: IV+2 (10), 37 IV(306), II (310) ; almost exclusively quaternions ; final leaves ruled but left blank (pp.615-619) ; catchwords present ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during cataloguing.Colophon: "Scribal," triangular, reads "قد تم هذا المثنوی المولوی المعنوی بید عبد الله ابن احمد الفسایی فی یوم الخمیس شهر جمادی الاخری سنه ثلث و اربعون و مائتين بعد الالف من الهجره النبویة علیه واله تم م م م م م"Explicit: "دردل من آن سخن زان مینمنه است زانکه ازدل جانب دل روزنه استIncipit: "هذا کتاب المثنوی وهو اصول اصول اصول الدین فی کشف اسرار الوصول والیقین ..."Title from colophons on pp.99, 299, 499 and 614.Ms. codex.Elegant copy of Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī’s didactic poetical work in double verses with Arabic preface. Contributions to the cataloguing from Elizabeth Kunze.
Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 295Origin: As appears in colophon at close of fourth book (on margin of p.208) and in colophon at close of second book (p.510), copied by Ḥamd Allāh ibn Qavām al-Dīn Niẓām Bayāsānī [?] with transcription of fourth book completed 15 Jumādá II 896 [ca. 25 April 1491] and transcription of second book completed 7 Shaʻbān 896 [ca. 15 June 1491]. As appears in colophon on p.676, transcription of sixth book completed in 897 [1491 or 2]. As appears in final colophon on p.696, copying of third book completed in 896 [likely 1491].Former shelfmark: "444 T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" inscribed in pencil on verso of front flyleaf.Binding: Pasteboards covered in red-brown leather ; Type II binding (with flap) ; pastedowns and flyleaves in shell 'marbled' paper in red and blue ; lining of fore edge flap in block-printed textile (floral pattern in red and black) and same shell 'marbled' paper ; upper and lower covers carry scalloped mandorla (stamped gold onlays with symmetrical composition) and pendants, as well as gold-stamped guilloché border in a series of s-shaped stamps ; design continues on flap ; sewn in pink and then green thread, two stations ; worked chevron endbands in pink, yellow and dark blue, good condition ; overall in fairly good condition though likely not original and ill-fitting text block (flap too small) with some abrasion, minor pest damage, etc. ; housed in box for protection.Support: non-European (likely Persian) laid paper with roughly 8 laid lines per cm. (chiefly vertical, fairly indistinct) and no chain lines plainly visible, dense and sturdy though transluscent, dark cream to beige in color, well-burnished ; some moisture damage, staining and tide lines, pest damage ; repairs in non-European laid and wove paper.Decoration: Exquisite illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān / sarlawḥ) at opening of each mujallad, for the first three books being rectangular pieces gold or lapis cartouche carrying title in white surrounded by arabesques, interlace, and floral motifs on grounds of gold and lapis with black, red, light blue, white, and turquoise / pistachio accents (see pp.2, 226, 512) and for the final three books (appearing on the margins) more typically diamond shapes of similar composition (see pp.2, 210, 522) ; written area and ruled margins throughout surrounded by gold frame with divisions within defined by narrow gold bands (outlined in black) ; keywords and section headings rubricated.Script: Nastaʻlīq ; elegant hand in a medium line ; characteristically serifless with gentle effect of words descending to baseline, elongation and contrasting thickness of horizontal strokes, sweeping descenders, pointing (somewhat casual) in distinct dots ; opening Arabic preface (and opening of fourth mujallad) in naskh, an elegant spacious hand, serifless with some sweeping descenders, adhering closely to baseline, pointing in distinct dots, extensively vocalized.Layout: Written in 20 lines per page in central written area, divided to two columns with an additional 42 lines on the diagonal in the margins ; frame-ruled.Collation: iv, IV+1 (10), 41 IV (338), 2 III ( 350), iii ; almost exclusively quaternions ; middle of the quire marks in the form of oblique strokes in black in in the upper outer corner of the right-hand leaf and lower outer corner of the left-hand leaf ; catchwords present (though occasionally lost to trimming) ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during cataloguing.Colophon: [fourth book] "Scribal," triangular, reads "تمه المجلد الرابع من المثنوی فی یوم الاربعا خامس عشر شهر جمادی الاخر سنه سته تسعین وثمانمایه کتبه الفقیر حمد الله نظام بیاسانی [؟]" ; [second book] "Scribal," triangular, reads تمه المجلد الثانی من کتاب المثنوی المعنوی فی یوم الخامس سابع شعبان المعظم سنه سته تسعین وثمانمايه العبد الخالی [؟] حمد الله ابن قوام الدین نظام بیاسانی [؟]""Incipit: "هذا کتاب المثنوی وهو اصول اصول الدین فی کشف اسرار الاصل والیقین ..."Title from colophon of second book on p.510.Ms. codex.Elegant copy of Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī’s didactic poetical work in double verses with Arabic preface. Text of the first three books (mujallad / daftar) appears in the central written area with the text of the final three books provided concurrently on the diagonal in the margins. Contributions to the cataloguing from Elizabeth Kunze.
Manuscript. Persian. Caption title. Scribe not identified. Probably written in India. Paper; thin, polished laid paper with horizontal laid lines and no visible chain lines or watermarks; both sections have almost identical carpet pages with floral unwan in gold, blue, reddish orange and white, with titles in white in gold cartouche, carpet pages have elaborate floral design in margins; text enclosed in a ruled border of blue, gold and orange; black ink with rubrication and some overlining in red; catchwords. Rieu, C. Catalogue of the Persian manuscripts, I, 91 Small naskh; 32 lines in written area 24 x 13.5 cm. Fol. 1b-170a, 171b-199b. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M149. Binding; lacquered morocco leather with embossed center medallions with a wide embossed gold inner border and a narrow stamped floral outer border front and back; text block loose in binding. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 902Origin: As appears in colophon on p.303, transcription executed by Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad Riz̤ā-yi Muz̲ahhib 9 Dhu al-Ḥijjah 1314 [ca. 11 May 1897] for the publishing house of Ḥājjī Aḥmad Aqā with correction supplied by Muḥammad Kāẓim.Accompanying materials: a. Page from Otto Harrassowitz Bücher-Katalog Nr. 352, 1912, "Neupersische Literature," with description of this item marked, reads "1821 Wassâf. Taʼrikh. Täbris 1314. Lex. 8o. Ldrbd. 303 pg. Lithographie. Ethé 359. Mit ausführlichem Rand- und Interlinear-Kommentar." -- b. Card with notes in pencil, "Lithographed text, not MS. | (most lithographed texts are Indian/per Emile Savage-Smith)" -- c. Slip of paper "Persian Manuscripts [crossed out, then in pencil] lithographed text (Heyworth-Dunne?) No Husselman or Meredith- Owens notes" -- d. Slip of paper with inscription in black ink reading "Counted for 1968/69 Annual Report" (transcribed in handlist prepared by R. Dougherty, 1993).Former shelfmark: Mich. Isl. Ms. temp. no. 51Binding: Pasteboards covered in black leather ; Type III binding (without flap) ; board linings in wove paper (lower board lining tinted lavender) ; sewn in dark brown thread, two stations, failing at opening of codex ; overall in fairly good condition with some negative draw in covers.Support: Wove paper, light brown in color.Layout: Mainly in 17 lines per page ; exemplar frame-ruled ; marginal glosses arranged in various geometrical shapes.Collation: 19 IV (152) ; exclusively quaternions ; catchwords present (on both verso and recto of each leaf) ; pagination in black ink, Hindu-Arabic numerals.Colophon: "Scribal", triangular form, in Arabic, reads: "وقد تم المجلد الاول من تاريخ الوصاف المسمى بتجزية الامصار على يد اقل العباد عملا و اكثرهم زللا محمد بن محمد رضاي مذهب المرحوم التبريزي الاصل والمسكن في دار الطباعة للمخدوم المعظم فخر الحجاج [؟] والمعتمرين حاجي احمد اقا غفر الله لهما ولوالديهما بحق النبي والولي واولادهما المكرمين صلوات الله وسلامه عليهم اجمعين في يوم الاربعاء تاسع شهر ذي الحجة الحرام سنة 1314 وقد امعن النظر في تصحيحه بتوفيق الله ومنه العبد الاثم محمد كاظم عفي عنه"Lithographed.Title from colophon.Lithographed copy of the first volume of Vaṣṣāf's Tajziyat al-amṣār wa-tazjiyat al-aʻṣār, a history of the Īlkhāns intended as a continuation of ʻAlāʼ al-Dīn ʻAṭā Malik Juvaynī's (d.1283) Tārīkh-i Jahāngushā (Jahān-gushāy) and renowned for its form and style. Includes an abundance of marginal and interlinear glosses transferred from the exemplar.
Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 1060Origin: As appears in colophon at close (p.451), transcription of this the first volume completed 12 Rabīʻ II 484 [ca. 29 July 1444].Accompanying materials: a. Slip of paper with note in Persian in pen identifying title, date of copying, and subject -- b. Index card with descriptive notes typed in German as well as transcription in clear black ink of note on other slip "اختيارات بديعى دائره المعارف طب"Binding: Heavy boards covered in brown leather ; Type III binding (without flap) ; likely two piece binding (trace of seam of overlapping flanges visible on spine) ; board linings in European laid paper ; upper and lower covers carry blind-stamped central mandorla and pendants filled with symmetrical floral / vegetal decoration, set off by rules dividing cover to quadrants and border in a row of s-shaped stamps defined by blind rules ; now sewn in white thread, two stations, no traces of endbands (perhaps lost in rebinding), rather tightly bound ; slightly larger than textblock and likely not original ; subtle repair to spine in red brown leather, new hinges in dark brown leather ; sound and overall in fairly good condition with some abrasion.Support: non-European (possibly Persianate) laid paper with roughly 8 laid lines per cm. (vertical, fairly straight) and chain lines occasionally visible ; formation somewhat cloudy with many inclusions (plant matter, bits of fiber, etc.), thin though sturdy and quite well-burnished to glossy, beige to light brown in color ; flyleaves in European laid paper (potentially machine laid) with "GIOR MAGNANI" below scrollwork with bird above tower (compare Heawood 3748) ; numerous native page repairs in brown paper.Decoration: Illuminated headpiece at opening on p.2, rectangular in shape with title "كتاب اختيارات بديعي" in gold tawqīʻ in cartouche over swirling vegetal ground, flanked by delicate vegetal motifs in gold on azure blue ground, surrounded by now oxidized bands (with paper breakthrough) and surmounted by further decorative band in blue, gold and white with red accents, itself surmounted by fine tīgh ; keywords and headings rubricated, along with two-teeth stroke abbreviation.Script: Naskh with some elements of nastaʻlīq ; elegant, spacious Turkic or Persianate hand in a medium line ; virtually serifless with elongation and contrasting thickness of horizontal strokes, long but fairly straight shaqq on kāf, quite rounded with curvilinear descenders and terminating strokes of tāʼ, bāʼ, etc., pointing mainly in distinct dots but occasionally with stroke for two dots, point of final and free-standing nūn set down within tall, angled bowl (rightward stroke typically higher than leftward stroke which occasionally curves and nearly forms a complete circle around dot), rāʼ often set within preceding dāl (particularly in instances of در), some free assimilation of letters, etc.Layout: Written in 21 lines per page (single column) ; frame-ruled (impression of ruling board evident).Collation: i, 2 IV(16), 2+IV (26), 9 IV(98), IV+1 (107), IV (115), III+1 (122), 13 IV(226), i ; chiefly quaternions ; catchwords present ; occasional foliation in pencil, Hindu-Arabic numerals, often toward the middle of the page in the outer margin ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during cataloguing.Colophon: "Scribal," triangular, reads "تمت المجلد الاول عن کتاب الموسوم باختیارات فی یوم 12 الجمعه عن [؟] ربیع الثانی سنه 848 هجریه م"Incipit: "امداد حمد بی عدد و اعداد سپاس بی قیاس مبدعی را که آثار ابداع او بر هر ورقی از اوراق و شجری از اشجار سمت ..."Title from colophon on p.451.Ms. codex.Elegant early copy of the first volume of Ikhtiyārāt-i badīʻī, a work of materia medica (pharmacopoeia) by ʻAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Anṣārī known as Ḥājjī Zayn al-ʻAṭṭār (d.1403 or 4).
Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 435Origin: As appears in colophon, copied by Āghā Mīrzā student of Sayyid Amīr Dihlavī with transcription completed 1233 [1817 or 1818].Binding: Pasteboards covered in black leather with maroon leather over spine (repair) ; Type III binding (without flap) ; doublures and doublure hinges in dark red leather ; upper and lower covers carry gold stamped mandorla, diamond-shaped pendants, cornerpieces and frame with floral and roundel designs and gold fillet accents ; sewn in yellow thread, six stations ; lacks endbands ; spine repair has been laid over flyleaves, restricting access to doublures and flyleaves themselves ; in poor condition with with much abrasion, red rot, cracking, moisture damage, pest damage, delamination, lifing of leather, etc. ; housed in envelope.Support: non-European (Indian or Persian) laid paper with laid lines running horizontally spaced roughly 10 laid lines per cm., no chain lines visible, many inclusions ; paper of flyleaves and initial and final leaves of quire are barely burnished ; central leaves carrying text have been highly burnished and tinted where written area appears ; some ink and pigment burn.Decoration: Illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān) at opening consists of rectangular piece, carrying the basmalah surrounded by gilt cloud-bands and flanked by floral pieces, surmounted by a scalloped semi-circular piece (dome) with floral vegetal decoration in lavender, white, green and yellow on fields of gold and blue ; entire piece is surmounted by vertical stalks (tīgh) in blue ; written area throughout is bordered by a frame with gold band and black, red and blue fillets ; gilt cloud-bands surround text throughout ; text rubricated with accompanying Persian text in red.Script: Nastaʻlīq ; Arabic text in a very fine hand with exaggerated contrast in thickness between horizontal and vertical strokes reminiscent of the earlier calligraphic style of Mīr ʻImād al-Ḥasanī, final yāʼ unpointed ; Persian text in a small, neat nastaʻlīq ; all sans serif with characteristic descent of words to baseline and superscript of final words/letters.Layout: Written in roughly 20 lines per page with a line for each hemistich and for its elucidation in Persian ; single column with the hemistiches aligned with opposite sides of the panel ; frame-ruled.Collation: ii, V, ii ; single quinion (the first two and last two leaves of which are blank) ; alternating double pages are left blank ; lacks catchwords.Colophon: "Scribal," somewhat triangular, mainly in Arabic, reads: "كتبه العبد المذنب آغا ميرزا تلميذ [؟] سيد امير دهلوى ۱۲۳۳ سلمه الله تعالى"Explicit: "انا الجيلى محيى الدين اسمى واعلامى على راس الجبالى [الجبال]"Incipit: "سقانى الحب كسات الوصالى [الوصال] فقلت لخمرتى نحوى تعالى"Title supplied by cataloguer.Ms. codex.Fine copy of the well-known Arabic poem attributed to ʻAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī with elucidation in Persian. Contributions to the cataloguing from Ali Rafi.
Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 1009Origin: Lacks dated colophon though manner of calligraphy, decoration, layout, etc. are characteristic of the Qurʼānic manuscripts produced in Kashmir from the 17th into the 19th centuries (see Bayani, et al. pp.228-57 and Blair, pp.550-52). Perhaps 18th century.Former shelfmark: Mich. Isl. Ms. temp. no. 158Binding: Boards covered in dark green leather ; Type III binding (without flap) ; upper pastedown and flyleaf in a shell 'marbled' paper (mainly in blue and brown), lower pastedown and fly leaf in untinted paper ; upper and lower covers gold-tooled in mitred-panel style with vegetal borders and three floral sprays in the central panel ; spine gold-stamped "SS" ; worked chevron endbands in red and yellow, in quite good condition ; overall in poor condition with upper cover fully detached, minor abrasion, lifting of leather at spine, etc.Support: non-European (likely Indian) laid paper with 11 laid lines per cm. (vertical) and no chain lines visible for the most part ; grey in tone and fairly translucent ; only slight curving of laid lines.Decoration: Splendid double-page illumination (illuminated 'frontispiece') at opening (pp.8-9) consisting of a series of scalloped domes in gold filled with floral vegetal designs in gold with black outline on a bright blue ground defined by heavy borders in bands of gold, black with white accents, and gold interlaced with red, blue and green accents, written area (in 8 lines per page with the Fātiḥah and opening of Sūrat al-Baqarah) is flanked by upper and lower rectangular pieces with gold cartouches (carrying the sūrah headings in blue riqāʻ or naskh, not extensively ligatured) and set off by gold floral accents on a bright blue ground ; similar double-page illumination at opening of Sūrat al-Isrāʼ / Juzʼ 15 (pp.204-205) and at close (pp.446-7) though here design affects a larger scalloped dome with cornerpieces and accommodates fewer lines in the written area (6 per page) with larger flanking upper and lower rectangular pieces (gold cartouches also lack sūrah headings) ; sūrah headings in blue and typically outlined in black bands with white accents ; written area and ruled margin throughout surrounded by frame in a series of gold bands defined by black fillets with outermost blue rule ; Qurʼānic text executed on bands of gold defined by black fillets and separated at some distance from one another (in other manuscripts has contained interlinear translation) ; marginal decorations in gold and blue mark ajzāʼ ; marginal juzʼ headings, notabilia (marking niṣf, thulth, etc.), abbreviation marks, mainly curved strokes and sigla for pauses "ط", large "ع" in margin to indicate bowing (rukūʻ), etc. and keywords in the commentary (mainly text being commented upon) are all rubricated ; verse dividers in the form of small red dots or discs ; text of commentary set off by gold cloudbands with floral accents in gold on blue grounds in the triangular spaces at the corners and center of the marginal area.Script: Naskh and nastaʻlīq ; elegant Indian hands in a heavy line ; Qurʼānic text in a fine, bold naskh, partially but somewhat irregularly seriffed (occasional right-sloping head-serif appearing on lām of definite article, barbed left-sloping serif on alif of lām-alif ligature, etc.), fairly vertical though with occasional very slight effect of tilt to the left, curvilinear descenders (some sweeping), pointing in distinct dots, fully vocalized ; marginal commentary in a bold, compact and well-formed nastaʻlīq, serifless with slight effect of words descending to baseline, some elongation of horizontal strokes, kāf mashkūlah (mashqūqah) preferred, pointing in distinct or conjoined dots, mainly closed counters.Layout: Written mainly in 18 lines per page, with roughly 46 lines of commentary on the diagonal in the ruled margins ; frame-ruled.Collation: iii, I (2), 12 IV(98), I (100), 7 IV(156), I (158), IV (166), 2 III(178), I+1 (181), 4 IV(213), III (219), 2 I(223), iii ; chiefly quaternions ; middle of the quire marks in the form of black oblique strokes in upper outer and lower outer corners of the center opening of each quire ; final single bifolium ruled but left blank ; catchwords present ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization (includes flyleaves).Title supplied by cataloguer.Ms. codex.Splendidly illuminated copy of the Qurʼān (muṣḥaf) with marginal commentary in Persian.
[Muḥammad Rafīʻ ibn ʻAlī Aṣghar al-Ṭabāṭabāʼī].Lithographed.In Persian with quotations in Arabic.[محمد رفيع بن علي أصغر طبأطبئي].Electronic reproduction. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard College Library Digital Imaging Group, 2009. (Open Collections Program at Harvard University. Islamic Heritage Project). Copy digitized: Widener Library: OL 22945.13.55 .
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم سبحان الذي اخلص الانسان بالنطق من عالم الجماد والعجماء ... :Incipitكتبه الحقير الى رحمة الفقير محمد رجائي غفر الله له ولوادية ولمن دعا لكاتبه بالخير. :ColophonWritten in one column, 15 lines per page, in black rubricated in red.According to colophon, copied in the hand of Muḥammad Rajāʼī.MS Arab 401. Houghton Library, Harvard University.In Arabic with examples in Persian.Electronic reproduction. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard College Library Digital Imaging Group, 2008. (Open Collections Program at Harvard University. Islamic Heritage Project).
Extensive historical study of Amir Timur's conquests of Afghan and Iranian cities. Kulliyat-e Farsi Taymurnamah (literally, The biographical account of Timur) is a biography of Timur or Tamerlane (1336-1405), the Turkic-Mongolian founder of the Timurid dynasty and lineage. It chronicles in detail his personal, political, and military life, including campaigns and conquests, and events in the regions of present-day Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran. Many biographies of Timur were produced during his lifetime and after. This lithographed version was published in Tashkent by Matba-e Ghulam Hasan in 1912. The last page of the introduction (pages 2-7) states that this book was written in 1792 during the reign of Shah Murad, founder of the emirate of Bukhara. The full name of the author, Mirza Muhamamd Qasim Ibn Abdul Khaliq Bukhari, appears on the cover, but no other information about him is provided. The introduction to this copy is a typical Persian historiographical trope praising God's supremacy and linking the rise of a ruler, Timur, to divine sanction. The author emphasizes that this connection also held true with the prophets, from Abraham to Muhammad, and for the first four caliphs of Islam, Abu Bakr, Umar, Usman, and Ali. On page four the author states that "humanity" is of two types, firstly the prophets, then the kings, as protectors of religion, makers and keepers of peace, and defenders of justice with courage and bravery. (He says nothing about people who do not fit either of these categories.) Timur (Amir Timur Gorgan) is seen as the latter type, "unquestionably brave, and conqueror of the world from Bulgaria to China, and the ruler of Iran and Turan." The author refers to other biographers of Timur, including Qazi Abdul Wakil and Abdul Razzaq Samarqandi. He covers Timur's family background, coronation as a ruler in Balkh in 1369-70, and his military campaigns. The work also expands beyond the life of Timur to cover events relating to the lives of his descendants, including the coronation of Mirza Shahrukh as a dynast in Herat, the rise of Babur as emperor in Khorasan and India, and the emergence of the Uzbeks and Safavids as new political lineages in Mawaranahr, Khorasan, and Iran. Particular historical events, individual figures, and narratives are marked with bold subheadings within the text and above. The first dastan (narrative) on pages eight to 15 concerns the birth of Timur. The last dastan is on his death and briefly discusses his descendants, notably his 34 sons and his many grandchildren. Notes and the signatures of anonymous readers, or perhaps of the author, appear in the margins of the text, as well as seals and stamps of many other readers on the last page of the book. The work is about 440 pages, paginated with Indo-Arabic numerals. World Digital Library.
Caption title.In Ottoman Turkish; the text commented upon is in Persian.Electronic reproduction. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard College Library Digital Imaging Group, 2009. (Open Collections Program at Harvard University. Islamic Heritage Project). Copy digitized: Widener Library: HD=HNSI21.
Manuscript. Turkish (Arabic script) and Persian. Title from bottom edge. Name of scribe not indicated Probably written in Turkey. Paper: very light cream-color polished laid paper with horizontal chain lines and no visible watermarks; elaborate floral unvan in blue, gold and red; text enclosed in a fine ruled border of black and gold ink; rubrication with overlining; few marginal corrections; catchwords on rectos. Naskh; 23 lines in written area 16.5 x 7.5 cm. Fol. 1b-378b. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M77?. Contemporary reddish-brown polished binding with gold medallions and borders front and back. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
Commentary by Mehmed Murad Nakşbendi. Cf. İstanbul Üniversitesi Kütüphanesi Türkçe basmalar alfabe kataloğu, v. 2 (1956), p. 772.In Ottoman Turkish; poems in Persian.
Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 408Origin: As appears in colophon at close, copied by the author Ebu Bekir Nusret with transcription completed 9 Dhū al-Ḥijjah (Yawm ʻArafāt) 1178 [ca. 30 May 1765].Former shelfmark: "128 T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" inscribed in pencil on verso of front flyleaf.Binding: Pasteboards covered in dark red leather ; Type II binding (with flap) ; likely originally two-piece binding ; pastedowns and flyleaves in olive green-tinted, silver-flecked laid paper ; upper and lower covers carry gold-painted (over black inlays) mandorla, pendants, and cornerpieces all filled with vegetal compositions and set off with gold-tooled rosette accents, as well as border of similar gold-painted vegetal composition (on light brown recessed inlays) defined by tooled guilloché rolls and gold-painted fillets ; design continues on envelope flap ; edges of text block gold-painted with vegetal designs ; sewn in dark pink thread, two stations ; worked chevron endbands in dark pink and brown with gold filaments ; overall in fairly good condition with minor abrasion, etc. ; University Library conservation treatment (December 2012) with repairs in maroon Japanese paper to spine (rebacked) and fore edge flap (outer joints and interior) as well as inner hinges (original hinges removed and replaced with olive-green Japanese paper), etc., native repairs to spine and fore edge flap removed ; housed in custom box for protection.Support: European laid paper mainly a type with 11-12 laid lines per cm. (vertical), chain lines spaced 23-25 mm. apart (horizontal), and watermarks of names (see pp.26, 50, 270, etc.) and horn in shield with crown above and figure "4" and initials below (see pp.22, 30, 38, 30, 274, etc.) ; minor foxing.Decoration: Illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān / sarlawḥ) at opening consisting of rectangular piece carrying the basmalah, surmounted by piece evoking row of scalloped domes filled with swirling floral vegetal decoration in gold, pink, white, lavender, light blue, yellow, orange, etc. on fields of gold and blue, itself surmounted by vertical stalks (tīgh) in blue with red accents and set in a well of pink with white accents ; written area of incipit and facing page surrounded by marginal decoration in a swirling vegetal pattern of gold with red accents, with text of written area set off by gold cloud-bands ; written area throughout surrounded by gold frame defined by black fillets with outermost red rule ; keywords and text being elucidated rubricated ; textual dividers in the form of gold discs ; occasional overlining in red ; illuminated tailpiece consisting of vegetal composition in gold surrounding colophon.Script: Naskh-nastaʻlīq (talik) ; somewhat quick and compact Turkish hand in a heavy line ; serifless and rounded with slight effect of words descending to baseline (occasionally more exaggerated), elongation of horizontal strokes, mainly closed counters, free assimilation of letters, pointing in strokes rather than distinct dots.Layout: Written in 19 lines per page ; frame-ruled.Collation: ii, 36 V(360), ii ; exclusively quinions ; catchwords present ; quire numbering in the form of whole words (i.e. "جزء رابع مقطوع") appearing in the upper outer corner of the recto of the opening leaf (partially cut off in many cases) for six quires near the center of the volume (see pp.201, 221, 241, 261, 281, 301) ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during cataloguing.Colophon: "Scribal," triangular, reads "تمت ترجمة التائية على يد مترجمه الفقير اليه سبحانه ابو بكر نصرت نصره الله فى الدارين وذلك يوم الاربعا وهو يوم العرفة من ذى الحجة الحرام سنة ثمانى وسبعين ومائة والف من هجرة من له العز والشرف تم"Explicit: "عفو ايليوب قبرين روضۀ جنان ايليه سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك اشهد ان لا اله الا انت استغفرك واتوب اليك"Incipit: "الحمد لله الذى سخر نظام عالم الالفاظ للطبائع الموزونة ... اما بعد معلوم اوله كه بو مبتلاى شبايك كثرت يعنى ابو بكر نصرت مقدما ديوان صايب مذاكره سيله بر مدت اشتغال ضمننده الف قافيه سندن وافر غزللر ترجمه ايدوب تسويددن اخراجنه وقتم مساعده ايتمديكندن شاكر دلTitle supplied by cataloguer.Ms. codex.Elegant, apparently autograph copy of the elucidation (or loose translation, ترجمه ) in Turkish by Ebu Bekir Nusret (d.1795), of al-Tāʼīyah, selected poems in tāʼ from the Dīvān of Ṣāʼib (d. between 1080/1669-70 and 1088/1677-8).
A richly illuminated 16th Century [CE] copy of the Persian version of Qazwini's ʻAjāʼib al-makhlūqāt wa-gharāʼib al-mawjūdāt, "The marvels of creation and the oddities of existence", commonly known as "The cosmography of Qazwini".. The text is structured according to a hierarchical cosmological order, with the celestial spheres, incorporating the fixed stars, the 12 signs of the Zodiac, stellar constellations and the surrounding spheres, which make up the observable celestial phenomena, followed by the invisible phenomena, the "Guardians of the Kingdom of God" and other angels, and the division of time and calendars. In the second section of the work the elemental division of the sublunar sphere is classified into the four elements fire, wind, water and earth. The seas, oceans and islands including their inhabitants, are governed by Water, while Earth contains the mountains, wells, rivers, minerals, plants and the animal kingdom, including human beings and their cultures. Numerous illustrations of commonly known mammals, birds, insects and reptiles can be found, along with strange beings, which conclude the text.Layout: 17 lines to the pageAdditions: A description of the manuscript on 243r in Latin signed by Saloman Negri Saloman Negri
Manuscript. Persian. Title from fol. 2a. Scribe not identified. Place of writing not determined; probably Iran or Turkey. Paper; light cream color laid paper with no visible chain lines or watermarks; elaborate floral unwan in gold, blue and red; text enclosed in ruled border of blue and gold; numerous illustrations; black ink with rubrication and overlining; catchwords. Naskh; 21 lines in written area 17 x 8.5 cm. Numerous illustrations and tables on fol. 2-19; some small illustrations in body of text. Fol. 2b-238a. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, [unnumbered]. Modern dark brown leather binding. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.