Manuscript. Persian. Title from fol. 2b. Written by Sulṭānmuḥammad al-Kātib. Probably written in Iran. Paper; thick, dark cream color laid paper with no visible chain lines or watermarks; elaborate unwan on fol. 2b in blue, gold, and red; fol. 1b-3a and 168b and 169b have elaborate floral decorations in margins; text enclosed in elaborate ruled border in blue-white-gold-red-green-gold; black ink with red section headings; catchwords. Nastaʻliq; 12 lines in written area 15 x 7 cm. Fol 1b and 2a have full page miniature paintings. Fol. 1b-169a (text: 2b-169a) Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M84. Binding; black grain with embossed medallions front and back. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
Manuscript. Persian. Caption title. Written by Ibn Murād al-Ḥusaynī Muḥammad Zamān. Probably written in Iran. Paper; unpolished, slightly yellowed cream color laid paper with horizontal laid lines and no visible chain lines or watermarks; elaborate floral unwan in gold, light blue, red and dark blue; title in red in gold cartouche; text on fol. 1b-2a has interlinear gold design; text enclosed in ruled border of a thin blue and a wider gold line; black ink with rubrication; catchwords. Rieu, C. Catalogue of the Persian manuscripts, I, 337 Work is dividedn into twelve Majlis, each has its own unwan and colophon. Nastaʻliq; 29 lines in written area 25 x 15.7 cm. Fol. 1b-321a. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M56. Text block intact, lacks binding. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website. Near East scanned
Manuscript. Persian. Scribe not indicated. Written in Iran. Paper; fine, beige paper; manuscript opens with a pair of gorgeous illuminated opening pages, separated by tissue; black ink; extremely fine black script, each line of script on these two pages is separated with a gold background painted with a floral motif; text enclpsed in a thin deep-blue ruled border decorated with tiny white 'crosses' surrounds the text on these two opening pages; the script in the rest of the manuscript is arranged in two columns, crossed with horizontal bands with titles in blue or gold script in clouds against peach-colored cartouches. Modified artistic nastaʻliq; a different type of nastaʻliq script with many curved lines placed horizontally above the lettering at the left of the words. There are beautiful miniature paintings of court scenes on a pair of opening pages; each has a pool with ducks (left) or geese (right) in the courtyard; the scenes are so delicately painted that the artist must have used brushes with single hairs; the bottom of the last page has a delicate gold and floral painting. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M089. Binding; dark brown, embossed leather, the recesses filled with gold leaf on covers and on "flap'; envelope binding; inside covers are in brown leather with blue medallions and blue corners decorated in gold. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
History of Shāh ʻAbbas of the Safavid dynasty and his predecessors. This early 19th-century manuscript contains a history of Shāh ʻAbbas (1571-1629, reigned 1588-1629) and his predecessors, composed in the late 16th or early 17th century by a contemporary. The manuscript most likely was written in Iran. The paper is a light cream, glazed laid stock. The text is written in nasta'liq script, 23 lines to the page, in black ink, with red ink used for headings, keywords, and some punctuation. Catchwords appear on verso pages. ʻAbbās I, also known as ʻAbbās the Great, was one of the most successful rulers of the Safavid dynasty (1502-1736). He expelled Ottoman and Uzbek invaders from Persian soil and transferred the capital of the empire from Kazvin to Isfahan, which he then developed into one of the world's most beautiful cities. He introduced reforms that improved the lives of his subjects and cultivated new commercial and diplomatic relations with the European powers. Persian artistic achievement also reached its high point during his reign, as carpet weaving, ceramics, painting, and the production of illuminated manuscripts all flourished under his patronage. World Digital Library.
Historical study of Iran during the Qajar dynasty in 19th century and of Afghanistan during the rules of Shīr ʻAlī Khān, ʻAbdurraḥmān K̲h̲ān̲ and Ḥabīb Allāh Khān. Kullīyāt-i Riyāz̤ī (Riyazi's book, usually known in English as the Collected Works of Ryazi) is a literary-historical work written in a mixture of prose and verse styles and published in a lithographic version in Mashhad, Iran, in 1906. It chronicles social, cultural, and political events taking place in the second-half of the 19th century in Afghanistan and Persia, especially during the reigns of Afghan ruler ʻAbd al-Rahman Khan (1880-1901) and his Persian counterpart, Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar (1896-1907). The author, Muhammad Yusuf Riyazi Haravi, was from a family of bureaucrats; his father had served different local Afghan officials in Herat. Historians generally have used colonial sources in their study of late-19th century Iran and Afghanistan; this book is a local historical source for the study of relations between these two countries and their formation. Muhammad Yusuf received support from Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar, who is praised as a just and learned ruler. The author also provides rich descriptions of his own family background, childhood education, travels, and his move to Qajar Iran and the confiscation of his and his family's property in Herat. The book includes a preface, table of contents, 12 chapters, and an extra section. The preface contains a 48-line verse and a prose section praising God, Muhammad, the family of ʻAli, the Qajar dynasts, and the author's own family. Chapter 1 describes the family background of the author. Chapter 2 contains several hikayat (stories) describing cities, political regions, and individuals; this chapter also includes a section on Afghanistan. Chapter 3, the longest, documents events in late-19th century Afghanistan and elsewhere, such as the signing of a friendship treaty between China and Japan, the death of a prime minister in the Ottoman Empire, and the Greek-Ottoman Wars. Chapter 4, called "Book of Knowledge," discusses "12 types of knowledge." Chapter 5, entitled "Questions and Answers," describes ten encounters with different individuals in which various topics are discussed, for example, with a German traveler about religious laws in Islamic countries, and with an English officer about why Muslims do not send their children to Europe for schooling. Chapter 6 contains spiritual ghazal (lyric poems). Chapter 7, "The Source of Crying," also has spiritual poems. Chapter 8 contains quintet poems, here called takhmisat. Chapter 9 is only one page and appears to be incomplete; it contains a few quintet and quatrain poems. Chapter 10, "Book of Regrets," discusses 12 different topics, for example, the finite character of the world and the nature of worship. Chapter 11, "Situations of Cities and Countries," is a brief ethnographic account of Beijing, Kabul, Mashhad, and other places. Chapter 12 offers a conclusion; it also describes the recently concluded Russo-Japanese War (1904-5). The book ends with a section, Mulh'qat (Relevancies), which covers a seemingly random set of topics, including a hunting campaign in 1904 of Amir Habibullah Khan, nationalist activities in Greece, and the salaries of poets in Herat. This work clearly was written at different times and published by the author as single collection. Each chapter forms a unit, and there are no direct connections between them. The book contains lithographic images, including of the Qajar and Afghan rulers and of the author. World Digital Library.