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Manchester. The John Rylands Library, Persian MS 3

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Source
Manchester Digital Collections
Library
The John Rylands Library
Shelfmark
  • Persian MS 3
Biblissima authority file
Date
  • 12 Dhu'l-hijja 1041 AH (1632 CE)
Language
  • Persian
Title
  • ʻAjāyib al-makhlūqāt (عجايب المخلوقات | عجايب المخلوقات و غرائب الموجودات | ʻAjā’ib al-makhlūqāt va gharāʼib al-mawjūdāt | ʻAjā’ib al-makhlūqāt wa-gharāʼib al-mawjūdāt)
Agent
Description
  • Extent:
    256 folios Leaf height: 342 mm, width: 178 mm. Written height: 270 mm, width: 123 mm.
    Binding:

    Contemporary binding of black morocco with fine stamped gilt medallions (flowers) and pendants (rabbits). Doublures of red leather, with medallions and pendants of gold cut-out work on blue, green and red backgrounds.


    Decoration:
    355 miniatures, which exemplify the mature Isfahan style, maintain a high standard of execution throughout.
    An extremely fine illuminated heading at the beginning of the text (folio 4b), with the central medallion left unpainted. Folio 13a: Blank space left for a miniature.
    Folio 14a: The full moon, with face, on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 14b: Half-moon on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 15a: The moon, half eclipsed, on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 16b: Bearded man seated, writing, representing the planet Mercury, on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 17a: Seated lady holding sprays of flowers, representing the planet Venus, on a starry, green background.
    Folio 17b: The sun with rays, on a cloudy, blue background.
    Folio 18a: The sun without rays, on a cloudy, blue background, slight discolouration along inner edge.
    Folio 19a: Bare-headed warrior with shield and drawn sword, representing the planet Mars, on a cloudy, blue background.
    Folio 19b (Top): Youth with skull-cap, carrying shield and drawn sword, representing the planet Jupiter, on a cloudy, green background.
    Folio 19b (Bottom): Dark-skinned, crowned, six-armed bearded man seated on mat, representing the planet Saturn, on a
    Folio 20a: Blank space left for a miniature.
    Folio 21a: The constellation of the Great Bear on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 21b: The constellation of the Lesser Bear on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 22a: The constellation of Draco on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 22b (Top): The constellation of Cepheus on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 22b (Bottom): The constellation of Boötes. A man with a walking stick on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 23a (Top): The constellation of the Cup (jāthī) on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 23a (Middle): The constellation of Andromeda. A kneeling youth with outstretched arms on a starry, blue backgro
    Folio 23a (Bottom): The constellation of the Hawk (dajājat, 'hen') on a starry, pink background.
    Folio 23b (Top): The constellation of Cygnus. A flying hawk on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 23b (Middle): The constellation of Cassiopeia. A lady sitting on a chair on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 23b (Bottom): The constellation of Perseus. A youth carrying a severed head on a starry, blue background (placed sideways).
    Folio 24a (Top): The constellation of a youth by a tent on a white background.
    Folio 24a (Middle): The constellation of Ophiuchus. Youth holding a snake on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 24a (Bottom): The constellation of the Arrow on a starry, pink background.
    Folio 24b (Top): The constellation of the Eagle on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 24b (Middle): The constellation of Dolphin on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 24b (Bottom): The constellation of the Half-Horse (qita 'al-faras) on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 25a (Top): The constellation of Pegasus (faras al-'azam), shown winged, on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 25a (Bottom): The constellation of Andromeda on a starry, blue background. No chain shown.
    Folio 25b (Top): The constellation of the Horse on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 25b (Middle): The constellation of the Crab on a starry, green background (Should be the triangle, muthallath).
    Folio 25b (Bottom): The constellation of the Ram on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 26a (Top): The constellation of the Bull, represented as a camel, on a cloudy, green background.
    Folio 26a (Middle): The constellation of the Twins on a cloudy, mauve background.
    Folio 26b (Top): The constellation of the Crab, represented as a white mule, on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 26b (Bottom): The constellation of the Lion on a cloudy, mauve background.
    Folio 27a (Top): The constellation of the Virgin on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 27a (Middle): The constellation of the Scales, also represented as a young woman, on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 27a (Bottom): The constellation of the Scorpion on a starry, mauve background.
    Folio 27b (Top): The constellation of Sagittarius, represented as a crane, on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 27b (Middle): The constellation of Capricorn on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 27b (Bottom): The constellation of Aquarius on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 28b (Top): The constellation of the Bow on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 28b (Bottom): The constellation of the Hare, represented by a crane, on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 29a (Top): The constellation of Canis Major on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 29a (Bottom): The constellation of Canis Minor on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 29b: The constellation of Argo Navis on a starry, green background. No suggestion of masts or oars.
    Folio 30a (Top): The constellation of the Dove on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 30a (Middle): An area of pink sky with stars (Should be the Snake, shiyā').
    Folio 30a (Bottom): The constellation of the Crow, represented as a fish, on a blue background.
    Folio 30b (Top): The constellation of Centaurus on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 30b (Top-Middle): An area of pink sky with stars, representing the constellation of the date-cluster (shamārikh).
    Folio 30b (Bottom-Middle): The constellation Corona, represented as a white duck, on a blue background.
    Folio 30b (Bottom): The constellation of the Fish on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 37a: The four angels who support God's throne (Hamālat al-'Arsh) on a starry, blue background. Their heads are the symbols of the Four Evangelists (Matthew - Man, Mark - Lion, Luke - Ox, John - Eagle), except that the ox of St Luke has become a leopard.
    Folio 37b: The angel Israfil blowing his horn on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 38a: The angel Gabriel, crowned, with threefold wings, on a starry, blue background.
    Folio 38b: The angel Michael and the fallen angels in the outer darkness.
    Folio 39b: The angel 'Azra'il seated opposite Solomon enthroned, both their faces veiled.
    Folio 40b: The angels Harut and Marut suspended head-downwards in a pit. Very slight smudging across the faces of the two angels.
    Folio 53a: The prophet Khizr, haloed, and an Israelite youth before an enthroned King Anuqat (?).
    Folio 56b: Blank space left for a miniature.
    Folio 57b: A rainbow.
    Folio 61a: Ships and fish in the great surrounding Ocean.
    Folio 62a (Top): Two naked inhabitants of the islands of Zanj in the China Sea.
    Folio 62a (Middle): Two flying cats on the same island.
    Folio 62a (Bottom): A lynx-like animal on the same island.
    Folio 62b: Three winged natives of the islands of the Zanj. Brightly coloured birds in the trees.
    Folio 63a (Top): Two naked inhabitants of the island of Amani. The woman offers the man an apple.
    Folio 63a (Bottom): The Queen of the island of Waq-Waq, enthroned, with her naked female courtiers.
    Folio 63b (Top): Birds in a large tree on the island of Sala.
    Folio 63b (Bottom): A naked woman seated on a platform, fixed in the fork of the tree on the island of Bana(n).
    Folio 64a (Top): Men in a ship surprised by beast-headed men appearing in the sea off the island of Atwaran.
    Folio 64a (Bottom): Two men in the sea.
    Folio 64b (Top): Fauna of the islands. A kind of deer-rhinoceros seated under a tree.
    Folio 64b (Top-Middle): Men hunting fish.
    Folio 64b (Bottom-Middle): Tortoises by a stream.
    Folio 64b (Bottom): Two and two small fish. The large fish have long, pointed noses.
    Folio 65a: Two serpents. One coiled around a tree and the other around a rock.
    Folio 66a: Two naked inhabitants of the island of Barta'il in the Indian Ocean reclining under a tree by a stream.
    Folio 66b: Men in a boat off the island of the Castle, fighting off an attack by beast-headed, man-like creatures.
    Folio 67a (Top): Inhabitants of the island of Jaba amid the flames of their fiery mountain.
    Folio 67a (Bottom): Scene on the island of the Dragon (tinnīn). A group of buildings on a mauve hilltop between two trees. In the middle ground, two oxen. In the foreground, a yellow dragon about to advance on them.
    Folio 67b (Top): A yellow bear-like creature with a black horn between its eyes.
    Folio 67b (Middle): Three pigeons and their eggs in a large nest.
    Folio 67b (Bottom): Two flying fish.
    Folio 68a (Top): A fish with a long-neck and snake-like head.
    Folio 68a (Bottom): A ring-shaped fish with a spike.
    Folio 69b (Top): Remarkable fish.
    Folio 69b (Middle): Remarkable fish.
    Folio 69b (Bottom): Remarkable fish.
    Folio 70b: Man carried into the air above his boat, grasping the legs of a giant bird.
    Folio 71b (Top): Men in a boat and a youth on the shore by a hermit's cell in a forest on the island of Jasasa.
    Folio 71b (Bottom): Owl-faced fish and two small fish.
    Folio 72b: Inhabitants on the island of Nas hunting birds.
    Folio 73a (Top): Two men seated before dishes of rice and bread, while a demon (jinn) behind them empties fruit from a sack.
    Folio 73a (Bottom): Man crouching behind a tree on a river-bank while two demons (jinn) approach.
    Folio 73b (Top): The Old Man of the Sea riding on a victim's shoulders.
    Folio 73b (Bottom): A large fish and three small ones.
    Folio 74b: The bronze figure on the stone tower in the forest on the island of Manara.
    Folio 75a: Two men in a small house with a jackdaw (?) on the dome, approached by a man with a dish of fruit.
    Folio 75b: Young man squatting on the shell of a rabbit-eared turtle, a snake in front of him.
    Folio 76a (Top): A human-headed, frog-bodied creature in the sea among the fish.
    Folio 76a (Bottom): Three fish.
    Folio 76b (Top): A fish. Smudged and unfinished.
    Folio 76b (Bottom): A flying fish.
    Folio 77b: A fish.
    Folio 78a: Two young men and a fat prince seated on a mat.
    Folio 78b (Top): A fish with rabbit's ears.
    Folio 78b (Middle): A fish without a lower jaw.
    Folio 78b (Bottom): Two naked men, one on shore and the other in the water.
    Folio 79a: White bullock grazing by a stream.
    Folio 79b: The sea-monster timsāh (crocodile).
    Folio 80a (Top): The monster tinnīn. A thick, serpent-like creature with semi-human head, wings and five smaller serpents growing from its neck.
    Folio 80a (Bottom): An eel (jirri), represented as a fish with a snake's tail, on land.
    Folio 80b: A dolphin, represented with wings.
    Folio 81a: The crab, resembling a bug, crawling along the waterside.
    Folio 81b (Top): Creature called sartān al-bahr, represented as a smooth, pale grey scorpion.
    Folio 81b (Bottom): Saqanqūr, crocodile spawn, represented as a small, lizard-like creature.
    Folio 83a: Black horse galloping in a meadow.
    Folio 83b: Stallion covering a mare.
    Folio 84a (Top): The beaver or sable (qunduz), represented as a white dachshund.
    Folio 84a (Bottom): Apparently intended to represent a porcupine (qunfud) but represented as a fish-like creature with ears, a long nose and snail-like shell on its back.
    Folio 84b: The dog. A small, brown terrier, running.
    Folio 86b: A hilly landscape with two young men, a small flock and a village behind.
    Folio 88a (Top): The mountain Abu Qays, with a water fall.
    Folio 88a (Bottom): The double mountain of Ajawasalmi.
    Folio 88b: Mount Asbara with a rabbit at its base.
    Folio 89b: Mount Bisutun, showing Farhad's sculpture (seated prince and dervish, and a standing youth).
    Folio 91a: Mount Damawand, a smith at work in a panel on the mountain, two men's heads and a village below.
    Folio 91b: Mount Razwi with a small waterfall and two tall trees beside it.
    Folio 93a: The mountains of Ceylon, coloured in red, with a village behind it and trees in the foregound.
    Folio 94a: The mountain of Tyre (?) with a rabbit at the base.
    Folio 95a: The mountain of Tyre (?) with a waterfall and a building in the foreground.
    Folio 95b: The mountain of Birds, with birds clustered around the hole near the summit.
    Folio 101a: The River Nile, with a representation of the nilometer (miqyās).
    Folio 128b (Top): The ebony tree.
    Folio 128b (Middle): The myrtle.
    Folio 128b (Bottom): The orange tree.
    Folio 129a: The plum tree.
    Folio 129b (Top): The Egyptian thorn (amughaylān).
    Folio 129b (Bottom): The myrobalam and turpentine tree.
    Folio 130a: The balsam tree.
    Folio 130b: The tanūb, 'a kind of fir tree'. No resemblance in the miniature.
    Folio 131b: The wild fig tree.
    Folio 132a: Galingale (?) (Khushraw-dār).
    Folio 132b: The laurel.
    Folio 133b: The olive tree. Slight discolouration.
    Folio 134b (Top): The sumach tree.
    Folio 134b (Bottom): The Egyptian thorn (?). The manuscript uses sandaras, which does not appear in the dictionary as the name of a tree. But Persian MS 37 uses samurat in the corresponding place. The miniature certainly bears no resemblance to fol. 129b (top).
    Folio 135a (Top): The cherry tree.
    Folio 135a (Bottom): The sandalwood tree.
    Folio 135b (Top): The tamarisk.
    Folio 135b (Bottom): The juniper tree.
    Folio 136a (Top): The aloes-wood tree.
    Folio 136a (Bottom): The ambergris tree.
    Folio 136b (Top): Fāwāniyā, a fire-proof tree.
    Folio 136b (Bottom): The pepper tree.
    Folio 137a (Top): The filbert (nut) tree. Top right-hand corner discoloured.
    Folio 137a (Bottom): The box thorn (fid-haraj), in error for filzahra (in Persian MS 37, fil-zahraj).
    Folio 137b (Top): The clove tree.
    Folio 137b (Bottom): Reeds.
    Folio 138a: The camphor tree.
    Folio 139a: Lāghiya (as in Persian MS 37). Not traced as the name of a tree.
    Folio 139b: The frankincense tree.
    Folio 140b: The banana tree.
    Folio 141a (Top): The orange tree (nāranj).
    Folio 141a (Bottom): The coconut tree.
    Folio 141b: The palm tree.
    Folio 181b: Sculptured panel on a rock representing Kisra (Nushirwan) mounted.
    Folio 182b: Prince having his hands washed in Istanbul, attendants carrying incense-burners.
    Folio 183b (Top): (On the customs of the Turks). Two parties of armed men facing each other, two other men on the horizon.
    Folio 183b (Bottom): Interior scene with two ladies seated, behind each women two men, one with a drawn sword. A black goat is painted on the wall behind.
    Folio 185a (Top): (On Indian customs). Young man worshipping an idol.
    Folio 185a (Bottom): Dire results of gambling. The loser has lost all of his clothes and is now about to have his fingers cut off by the ruthless winner, a young man in a skull-cap.
    Folio 185b: Indian lovers copulating in a house. On the terrace, another Indian points them out to a young Persian visitor.
    Folio 186a: Corpse of an Indian on a blazing funeral pyre.
    Folio 192b: Figure of a mounted man on the top of a dome a Baghdad.
    Folio 193b (Top): Five men at sea in a boat.
    Folio 193b (Bottom): A mechanical well.
    Folio 194a: One large miniature split into two by two lines of text. Top: Mechanical contrivance for drawing water. A mounted figure on the top of the building. The building houses a wheel and water falling into a dish. Bottom: In the lower part of the building a young man kneels, watching water pouring into a bowl from above and holding a jar in readiness.
    Folio 194b (Top): Young prince seated underneath an awning with three seated armed men before him.
    Folio 194b (Bottom): Young prince seated on a throne, holding a lighted candle, with a wheel below.
    Folio 195a: Contrivance consisting of the figure of a young woman seated above a large brown pear-shaped vessel from whose mouth project two bottles (?) on shafts (sandūq al-man'ni).
    Folio 199b: Blank space left for a miniature.
    Folio 200a: Blank space left for a miniature.
    Folio 200a: Blank space left for a miniature.
    Folio 207a: Young man taking a reading with an astrolabe.
    Folio 207b (Top): Young man taking a reading with an astrolabe.
    Folio 207b (Middle): Young man seated on a mat leans back to observe the sunrise with an attendant behind him.
    Folio 207b (Bottom): Young man taking a reading with an astrolabe.
    Folio 208b: Blank space left for a miniature.
    Folio 208b: Blank space left for a miniature.
    Folio 209a: Blank space left for a miniature.
    Folio 209a: Blank space left for a miniature.
    Folio 210a: Three men under a tree preparing a talisman as a mixed flock grazes beside them.
    Folio 210b: Five men in conversation, with bottles and dishes of fruit before them. Slight flaking at inner edge.
    Folio 211a (Top): Young man holding a bird and a fish and standing on a lizard, representing talismans connected with the planet Saturn.
    Folio 211a (Bottom): Young man riding a large bird, representing talismans connected with the planet Jupiter.
    Folio 211b (Top): Naked bearded man with his arm around the neck of a clothed young woman, representing talismans connected with the planet Mars.
    Folio 211b (Bottom): Man carrying a shield and a whip, walking on a green dragon, representing the talismans connected
    Folio 212a (Top): Naked girl followed by a small boy with a drawn sword, representing talismans connected with the planet Venus.
    Folio 212a (Bottom): Man with wings and a cock's comb, holding up a jar in his left hand, with a cock standing behind
    Folio 212b: Personification of the Moon. Lady with a scalloped gold halo, holding a whip and standing between two bullocks, representing the Moon's talismans.
    Folio 213a (Top): A certain bird connected with love spells.
    Folio 213a (Bottom): Young man crouching over an incense-burner.
    Folio 213b: A padlock lying in a meadow.
    Folio 214a: A young man seated with a standing girl looking back at him, holding a black purse (?). Slight discolouration.
    Folio 214b (Top): A young man in a gold cap following another man, to whom he is attached by a cord around his neck.
    Folio 214b (Bottom): Two youths converse in an interior. One of them, in a short coat, holds a purse (?), similar to to the one in folio 214a.
    Folio 215a (Top): Young couple seated before the qazi.
    Folio 215a (Bottom): Young couple conversing in an interior.
    Folio 215b (Top): Lady conversing with a slave in a landscape.
    Folio 215b (Bottom): A slave repelling the advances of a seated lady in an interior, watched by another man who is in a state of surprise.
    Folio 216a: Arrest of a malefactor in the presence of a lady who clenches her fists. Slight discolouration.
    Folio 217a (Top): Grey-bearded man seducing (assaulting?) a young woman.
    Folio 217a (Middle): The young woman fainting.
    Folio 217a (Bottom): The grey-bearded man prostrating himself before another man with a golden collar, watched by two others.
    Folio 217b: Three men seated before a holy man under a tree outside the latter's cell.
    Folio 218a: Bare-headed man in a golden collar falls from a tree upon another man, with a saw in the background.
    Folio 218b: Mourners gathered around a corpse on a bier.
    Folio 219a (Top): A centaur.
    Folio 219a (Middle): Reclining pink jinn under a tree.
    Folio 219a (Bottom): Blue jinn, holding his club, seated under a tree.
    Folio 219b (Top): Blue jinn riding an ostrich.
    Folio 219b (Middle): Brown jinn clubbing a man he has thrown to the ground.
    Folio 219b (Bottom): Interior with a bearded man seated on a mat, in conversation with a youth. Slight flaking.
    Folio 220a: Beast-headed jinn before Solomon, enthroned.
    Folio 220b (Top): Brown jinn riding a winged black horse.
    Folio 220b (Bottom): White jinn playing the lute to a man seated on a mat.
    Folio 221a (Top): Bearded white jinn hastening from the presence of a veiled figure seated on a mat. Slight discolouration at edges.
    Folio 221a (Middle): A grey jinn with a camel's head and elephant's body, walking like a bear.
    Folio 221a (Bottom): Solomon enthroned with a group of his subjects before him.
    Folio 221b: Solomon at the upper window of a building, observes a group of jinn below.
    Folio 222a: Camels straying while a caravan rests.
    Folio 222b (Top): Youth conversing with a holy man at the entrance to his cell.
    Folio 222b (Bottom): Youth conversing with an old woman at the foot of a precipitous purple mountain.
    Folio 223a: Youth in discussion with four others, one of whom appears to be a Turk, all seated.
    Folio 223b (Top): Youth conversing with a young woman seated at the entrance to her tent.
    Folio 223b (Middle): Wolf seizing a goat from the flock. The head and shoulders of a man are also visible.
    Folio 223b (Bottom): Wise man dressed in white discussing poetry with four young men.
    Folio 224a: Bearded man bringing a covered dish of food to a young man seated in a crypt or dungeon.
    Folio 224b: The horse.
    Folio 225a: The mule.
    Folio 225b (Top): The ass.
    Folio 225b (Bottom): Another representation of the ass.
    Folio 226a: The snail.
    Folio 226b (Top): A pair of snakes.
    Folio 226b (Middle): A pair of snakes.
    Folio 226b (Bottom): A pair of snakes.
    Folio 227a (Top): A pair of snakes with reddish backs.
    Folio 227a (Bottom): A pair of earthworms.
    Folio 227b (Top): The black beetle.
    Folio 227b (Bottom): The caterpillar.
    Folio 228a: The fly.
    Folio 228b (Top): Probably intended to be for cantharides, or the Spanish fly (dharārīh). The text uses darūj, which besides being out of alphabetical order, is not traceable as the name of any creature. The representation is of a pair of small worms, one red and the other brown.
    Folio 228b (Top-Middle): The tarantula.
    Folio 228b (Bottom-Middle): The wasp.
    Folio 228b (Bottom): Sāmmi abras. 'A large and venomous kind of lizard', but the creature depicted resembles a centipede.
    Folio 229a (Top): The tortoise.
    Folio 229a (Middle): The ṣannāja. A mythical, fabled beast represented as a crocodile-like creature.
    Folio 229a (Bottom): A small, white, grub-like insect. It has not been named, but it may be intended to represent ẓabb, a kind of lizard, which follows ṣannāja in Persian MS 37.
    Folio 229b: A little green lizard called tanab.
    Folio 230a (Top): A feline called ṭarfān.
    Folio 230a (Bottom): A dog-like creature called 'atāba running by a river in which there are three fish.
    Folio 230b: A running dog or fox-like creature called ibn dil ('son of the heart').
    Folio 231a: The polecat or weasel, represented as a sort of lizard.
    Folio 231b (Top): A pair of rabbits.
    Folio 231b (Bottom): The lion.
    Folio 232a: The tiger.
    Folio 232b: The fox, represented lying on its back.
    Folio 233a (Top): A kind of antelope with a single horn on its forehead, called ḥūs.
    Folio 233a (Bottom): The wild boar.
    Folio 233b (Top): The bear.
    Folio 233b (Bottom): Lion watching a man up a tree, the latter only visible below the waist.
    Folio 234a (Top): The weasel, represented more like a small wolf.
    Folio 234a (Bottom): A running lupine animal called dunb ('a tail').
    Folio 235a (Top): The elephant called sinbad giving birth.
    Folio 235a (Middle): The ermine.
    Folio 235a (Bottom): The cat.
    Folio 235b (Top): The wild ('desert') cat.
    Folio 235b (Bottom): A mythical, fabled beast called sarash. It has holes in its snout by which it plays music.
    Folio 236a (Top): Another mythical, fable beast called shādawār. Like an ibex, but with musical horns.
    Folio 236a (Bottom): The hyena.
    Folio 236b (Top): The lynx.
    Folio 236b (Bottom): This would appear to be the crocodile. The name is biyāṣ, which is not in alphabetical order and does not appear in the dictionary.
    Folio 237a (Top): The cheetah.
    Folio 237a (Bottom): The elephant, caparisoned.
    Folio 238a: Two monkeys gathering and eating fruit from a tree.
    Folio 238b: The rhinoceros.
    Folio 239a: A brown and a white dog.
    Folio 239b: The leopard (namir).
    Folio 240a (Top): An antelope with very long slender horns, called naghiyūn (?), drinking at a stream.
    Folio 240a (Middle): Three small birds with long pointed beaks, rather like humming birds, apparently called mush (?).
    Folio 240a (Bottom): A pair of finch-like birds called pirnafas.
    Folio 240b (Top): Aquatic birds (urdak), ducks and a swan (?).
    Folio 240b (Bottom): The falcon on its perch.
    Folio 241a (Top): The sparrow-hawk.
    Folio 241a (Top-Middle): Parrots.
    Folio 241a (Bottom-Middle): A pair of nightingales.
    Folio 241a (Bottom): A pair of plump little birds called barbū'.
    Folio 241b: A pair of swallows flying in the sky. They are given the name tadharw ('cock pheasant' or 'jungle cock').
    Folio 242a (Top): The bustard.
    Folio 242a (Middle): The kite.
    Folio 242a (Bottom): A pair of pigeons.
    Folio 242b: The swallow (khuṭṭāf).
    Folio 243a (Top): A flying bat.
    Folio 243a (Bottom): The francolin.
    Folio 243b: Two cocks squaring up to one another.
    Folio 244a (Top): A pair of quails. (Dajāj is written, which means cock or hen, but it is probably meant to be daj, which can mean quail.
    Folio 244a (Bottom): A carrion-eating bird (rakhma) flying amid rocks.
    Folio 244b (Top): The raven.
    Folio 244b (Bottom): Zarzad, a pinkish bird with a rather long red beak. Possibly intended to be zurzur, the starling.
    Folio 245a (Top): The falcon. Two are shown, on their perches.
    Folio 245a (Top-Middle): The royal white falcon (shāhīn).
    Folio 245a (Bottom-Middle): Saqrāq, a small pink and grey bird. (Saqrāq normally means jug or pitcher).
    Folio 245a (Bottom): Three white birds on a tree, two of them hanging upside down.
    Folio 245b (Top): A hawk, shown attacking they eyes of a deer.
    Folio 245b (Bottom): The peacock. Two males shown, one with tail displayed.
    Folio 246a: The eagle.
    Folio 246b (Top): The magpie (?). A small black, grey and white bird.
    Folio 246b (Bottom): The 'anqā, a phoenix-like bird perched on a tree trunk in a landscape.
    Folio 247a: This is supposed to be the crow (gharāb), but it is represented as a grey pigeon-like bird with white front, in flight.
    Folio 247b (Top): Gharbīq (?). A pair of crane-like birds.
    Folio 247b (Middle): Divers (ghawās), represented as ducks.
    Folio 247b (Bottom): Three ring-doves.
    Folio 248a (Top): Three partridges in a rocky landscape.
    Folio 248a (Middle): Two larks in flight.
    Folio 248a (Bottom): Two sand-grouse.
    Folio 248b (Top): The turtle-dove (qumri).
    Folio 248b (Middle): Phoenix (quqnus), represented as two birds by a fire.
    Folio 248b (Bottom): The crane.
    Folio 249a (Top): The stork carrying off a snake.
    Folio 249a (Top-Middle): Makā (macaw), a duck-like bird with a long beak.
    Folio 249a (Bottom-Middle): The vulture. The illustration, however, is of a small grey bird defending its nest from a snake.
    Folio 249a (Bottom): Possibly intended to be the vulture. A brown bird with partly black wings and white underparts, in flight.
    Folio 249b (Top): The ostrich. The feet are correct, but otherwise it looks like a crane.
    Folio 249b (Bottom): The hoopoe.
    Folio 250a: The mountain swallow.
    Folio 250b: Araẓat ('a worm which eats into ships') and afa'ā ('a large, venomous serpent, viper, asp'). Both creatures appear to be serpents.
    Folio 251b: The dragon tinnīn. Black with gold accessories, stalking through a rocky landscape, breathing fire.
    Folio 252a (Top): The locust.
    Folio 252a (Middle): Ḥirbā ('chameleon'). Represented as a brightly coloured bird displaying its wings to the sun.
    Folio 252a (Bottom): The camel. Seated, two packs beside it.
    Folio 252b: Black humped ox, with a gold necklace.
    Folio 253b (Top): The wild ox, represented as a stag.
    Folio 253b (Bottom): Jāwamīsh, a grey ox.
    Folio 254a (Top): The giraffe. White with a single horn.
    Folio 254a (Bottom): A pair of sheep.
    Folio 254b: The goat.
    Folio 255a (Top): Zabi. A kind of antelope.
    Folio 255a (Bottom): Bayān. A golden lizard.
    Folio 255b (Top): The scorpion. Pale green.
    Folio 255b (Top-Middle): The spider.
    Folio 255b (Bottom-Middle): Spider suspended from its web.
    Folio 255b (Bottom): Spider catching a fly.
    Folio 256a (Top): Another spider.
    Folio 256a (Top-Middle): The mouse.
    Folio 256a (Bottom-Middle): Three mice playing.
    Folio 256a (Bottom): The butterfly.
    Folio 256b: The hedgehog.


    Acquisition:

    Purchased by Enriqueta Rylands, on behalf of the John Rylands Library, in 1901 from James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford.


    Layout:

    Single column, 21 lines.


    Script:
    Copied by Shūmā (شوما)
    Data Source(s):

    Bibliographical description based on an index created by Reza Navabpour circa 1993. Identification of provenance based on manuscript catalogue by Michael Kerney, circa 1890s.

    Codicological description based on B.W. Robinson, Persian Paintings in the John Rylands Library: A Descriptive Catalogue (London, 1980).


    Subject(s):
    Cosmography Early works to 1800; Geography, Arab; Zoology Pre-Linnean works
    Abstract:

    Qazwini's Wonders of Creation, an important Arabic cosmography, dated 12 Dhu'l-hijja 1041 AH (1632 CE). The manuscript is on tinted paper and includes 355 Isfahan style miniatures.


    Foliation:

    Pencil foliation throughout. As the pencil numbering includes three fly-leaves at the beginning, what should be numbered folio 1 is numbered 4 etc.


    Format:
    Codex
    Material:
    The colour of the paper varies from cream through coffee to several shades of green.
    Provenance:

    At the beginning are two Persian seals with short librarians' entries: 1. Pitifāt 'Alī Khān; 2. Mu'izz al-Dawla Bahādur Khān (?), dated 1162/1749; one of the inscriptions appears to record the gift of the manuscript from the first to the second.

    Formerly part of the collection of the orientalist Antoine-Isaac Silvestre de Sacy (1758-1838). A label has been affixed to the inside front cover which reads: 'M: Silvestre de Sacy, 226'. The manuscript then became part of the collection of the Persian scholar Nathaniel Bland (1803-1865). Bland’s oriental manuscripts were sold through Bernard Quaritch (1819-1899), bookseller and publisher in 1866 to Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford.

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