Manuscript. Persian and Arabic. Caption title. Scribe not identified. Gift of A.A. Kachif, Nov. 20, 1930. Written in Iran. Paper; thick, polished light cream color paper with no watermarks; elaborate floral unwan in gold, blue, red, and white with wide borders of a similar floral pattern and similar colors of fol. 1b and 2a; an outer border of two very thin lines accompanies all the text on facing pages; the text itself is enclosed in a border of black, white, gold, and red; floral section headings in gold, red and blue; lines of the text are separated by a cloud design in gold; text in black ink with small red overlining of some letters; catchwords. Nastaʻliq; in written area 13 x 7.5 cm. Fol. 1b-24a. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M100. Binding; dark brown half leather with lacquered papier-mâché floral design on a copper colored background surrounded by contrasting green, red and green borders also with floral designs; inner sides of cover also lacquered with a paintings of dark pink roses on a brown background. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
Collection of memorable sayings, witticisms, anecdotes, etc., in prose and poetry in 8 books; concerning (book 1) Sufis and saints, 2) sayings of the philosophers, 3) justice of kings, 4) generosity, 5) love, 6) jokes and witticisms, 7) poets, and 8) on animals; the text is incompete and breaks off shortly after the beginning of book 7.
Poems. Manuscript. In Persian. Title from fol. 1a. Date from cover. Written by Ghulām Ismāʻīl. Written in Afghanistan. Paper; modern cream color paper; black ink; some sections written diagonally; no catchwords. Nastaʻliq; 15 lines, with some pages of fewer lines written diagonally. Binding is marbled paper over cardboard; light tan leather spine; text block separated from binding.
Manuscript. Persian. Title from fol. 1a. Scribe not identified. Possibly written in India. Date on fol. 1a; manuscript may be older. Paper; medium cream color paper with no visible watermarks; fol. 1b has floral unwan in gold, blue, red and white contains the Basmalah; text block enclosed in ruled border of one thin blue and one wide gold line; text itself is set off by single gold line on either side; hemistichs and sections are also separated by a thin gold line; black ink, section titles in red; catchwords. Nastaʻliq; 19 lines in written area 16.5 x 6.3 cm. Fol. 1b-114a. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M76. Binding is tan paper over boards with black cloth spine and corners. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
In Persian. Preface signed: M. Youness. Label pasted on back cover: "Khayr Allāh Afandī kih az Masīḥīyat va baʻd az ʻAbd al-Bahāʼ murtadd shud". Probably written in Iran.
Manuscript. Persian. Title from colophon; each Gospel has separate caption title in red ink. Scribe not identified. Place of writing not determined; perhaps Iran. Paper; cream color, commercial laid paper with no visible chain lines or watermarks; black ink with rubrication; catchwords. Nastaʻliq; 17 lines in written area 25.5 x 16 cm. Fol. 1b-128a. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M103. Nineteenth century brown half leather binding with dark brown grain sides; commercial marbled pastedowns and marbled edging; binding separated from text block. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
Based on the Arabic treatise Sharḥ al-asbāb by Nafīs ibn ʻIwaḍ (-approximately 1449); covers the symptoms and treatment of diseases specific to particular parts and general diseases.
Complete poems of Ghulām Muḥammad Ṭarzī. Divan-i Ṭarzī (Poetic collection of Tarzi) contains verses by Ghulām Muḥammad Ṭarzī (1830-1900), mostly concerning piety, ethics, politics, and society in 19th century Afghanistan. Tarzi came from a distinguished background; he belonged to the Mohammadzai sub-lineage of the Durranis, one of two main Afghan Pashtun lineages, the other being Ghilzai. Because of their connections to Muḥammad Yaʻqūb Khān, Tarzi and his family were exiled from Afghanistan in 1882-83 by Abd al-Raḥmān Khān, a kinsman of Yaʻqūb Khān and a rival to the Afghan throne. The feeling of desolation occasioned by Tarzi's exile pervades many of the poems. Each poem is specific in theme, meaning, and place. One poem, for example, extols the verse of Mirza ʻAbd al-Qādir Bīdil, the famous Persian poet and Sufi who was instrumental in the development of "Indian-style" Persian poetry in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. In another poem, Tarzi praises the wedding of Muḥammad Yaʻqūb Khān, who in 1879 was briefly amir of Afghanistan, after he signed the Treaty of Gandamak recognizing British control of Afghanistan's foreign affairs. Each poem has a rubricated title that indicates where it was written and its purpose. On page 336, for example, it is stated that "this ghazal is written in Kandahar in response to Neamat Khan." A few poems are not titled, but each is distinguished by its conclusion with the author's pen name tarzi (stylist). The volume itself is not titled. The names and personal library stamps of several owners and readers, including that of Abdul Rauf Khan Tarzi, a descendant of the author, appear on the cover and last pages. The book is in two sections: the main one is of ghazal (lyric) verses, while the last 50 pages are in rubai (quatrain) form. The script includes several versions of Persian nastaliq, such as clear nastaliq, broken nastaliq, and uneasy nastaliq. The paper is of different qualities and colors; most text appears on plain cream paper laid down on a marbled backing. Pages have penciled Persian-Arabic numerals inserted by a reader. The marginal notes may be the author's own or by anonymous readers. The final text is a prose piece, in which Tarzi emphasizes his virtue, sorrow, and loyalty. World Digital Library.