Shahnama Project : Shahnama

Firdausi

Shahnama Project

<p style='text-align: justify;'><p>This is a sister volume to the British Library collection of epics (Or. 2780), both once owned by the Comte de Gobineau.</p><p>The folios of the ms. are considerably disordered: see catalogue description. The script is described as a mixture of nasta`liq and ta`liq.</p><p>This is the second half of the Shahnama which starts from the reign of Luhrasp. The recto side of the first folio still contains the remaining lines from the first half of the work. The illustrations are inserted into the original manuscript. This can be noticed from the quality of the paper used for the illustrated folios. The misalignment of the text is another indication. The hand writing and the rendition of the folio style is, however, a faithful copy. However, it may be the case that the same scribe has done the work for the insertion of illustrations. It is very likely that the same ms artists have later inserted the illustrated folios.</p><p>Generally considered that Iskandar Sultan is the patron.</p><p>There is an extensive bibliography on this manuscript, notably most recently by Elaine Wright.</p></p>