This manuscript, written in Persian, contains a selection of the
“One Hundred Sayings by Ali,” a collection of sayings and
proverbs traditionally attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth
rightly guided Caliph as well as cousin and son-in-law of the
prophet Muhammad. Among the Shiites (from šīʿat ʿAlī, the
“party of Ali"), Ali plays an important religious role as the
first imam. This manuscript was written in 1559 by the calligrapher
Jalal ibn Muhammad in Bukhara. For the text he used the Nastaliq
script, a calligraphic script widely used for the Persian-Arabic
alphabet; for the titles, however, he used the ordinary Arabic
Nasḫī script. The six full-page miniatures, highlighted in gold,
were added in the second/third quarter of the 17th century.
Noteworthy on p. 9v at bottom center is the rare depiction of a
figure turning his back to the observer, of whom one can see only
the back of the head. On the same page at the left, behind several
musicians, two Europeans can be recognized by their clothing.
