an unidentified princely edition of the tārīkh-i vaṣṣāf
Online ZOOM lecture by Dr. Shiva Mihan | Washington University in St. Louis
Abstract Among the manuscripts copied in the celebrated atelier of the Timurid prince Bāysunghur (1397–1433) in Herat, two were of Persian historical works, which were completed during the years 834 and 835 AH (1431–1432): the Tārīkh-i Jahāngushāy (History of the World Conqueror) and the Tārīkh-i Vaṣṣāf (History by Vaṣṣāf). The latter was miscataloged as the Tārīkh-i Jahāngushāy in 1976 and due to the inaccessibility of the work to scholars, the manuscript has remained misidentified until now. Yet, this copy is the earliest complete manuscript of the work, containing parts one to four, including the earliest extant copy of part three. It is, therefore, of utmost significance for establishing a critical edition of the text. After introducing the previously misidentified manuscript, this presentation will address the aesthetic features of the book and discuss its four added illustrations in connection with two further manuscripts that contain illustrations from the same late source. It will also discuss the obscure identity of the scribe and his other works under Bāysunghur.
Please register with: https://oeaw-ac-at.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_t4b0-0otQBiO7isUUrVhfw
This is the 3rd lecture in the webinar series for the academic year 2023-24 - organised by the NoMansLand research project (FWF Y 1232) dedicated to the study of Islamic manuscripts in pre-modern Iran and Central Asia.
Convenor: Project team "Nomads' Manuscripts Landscape"
For a list of upcoming lectures in the webinar series, please see Webinar series "Pre-modern Islamic manuscripts"