880-02 [Rūznāmachah-i muḥāṣarah-i Qalʻah-i Dār al-Jihād ...etc., late 18th or early 19th century?]

Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Library, Isl. Ms. 354 Origin: Lacks dated colophon ; paper, decoration, etc. would suggest latter 18th century. Date accompanying ownership statement provides a terminus ante quem of 1236 [1820 or 21]. This manuscript may have been one of the valuables inherited by Z̤iyāʾ al-Salṭanah Shāh Begum from her father's mother Āsiyah Khānum. Former shelfmarks: "525 [?] T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" and "260" inscribed in pencil on recto of front flyleaf. Binding: Upper and lower covers lost, as well as spine leather (sewing, etc. fully exposed on spine) ; Type III binding (without flap) ; sewn in red thread, six stations, over two wide tapes, still intact ; overall in quite poor condition with upper and lower covers lost, abrasion, lifting and losses of spine leather, etc. ; housed in box for protection. Support: non-European (likely Indian or Persian) laid paper with 11 laid lines per cm. (horizontal, fairly distinct) and no chains clearly visible, thin, crisp and transluscent though sturdy, highly sized and burnished to glossy, grayish in color ; written area surface dyed pink, yellow, light green, etc. ; some breakthrough within written area in first few quires of second work. Decoration: Exquisite illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān / sarlawḥ) at opening of first work consisting of rectangular piece with gold cartouche (carrying the basmalah in white ink) flanked by delicate vegetal designs in gold, white and pink on a blue ground and bordered in bands of black and gold, surmounted by double w-shaped piece filled with delicate floral vegetal decoration in pink, green, yellow, etc. on fields of gold, blue, and green, all set in an elaborate well consisting of bands of red, gold interlace, and black and surmounted by vertical stalks (tīgh) in blue and vegetal forms in gold ; another splendid headpiece at opening of second work on fol.100b consisting of rectangular piece with gold cartouche (carrying the basmalah in white ink) flanked by vegetal designs in gold and green on a blue ground and bordered in bands of green and gold, surmounted by w-shaped piece filled with delicate floral vegetal decoration in pink, green, yellow, etc. on bands of gold, blue, and dark lavender, all set in an elaborate well consisting of bands of black, gold, and green overlaid with floral designs and surmounted by vertical stalks (tīgh) in blue and vegetal forms in gold ; illuminated marginal decoration bordering written area of incipit and facing page of opening and second work each consisting of a band of floral and vegetal forms in gold with green and red accents ; written area surface dyed pink, yellow, light green, etc., gold-flecked and surrounded by gold frame, divisions within also ruled in gold ; headings and keywords rubricated ; overlining in red ; textual dividers in the form inverted commas in red ; opening work illustrated with one half-page (fol.50a) and one full-page (fol.53b) miniature and final work illustrated with three half-page (fol.193b, 195a, 203b) miniatures and one full-page (fol.198a) miniature, all in Indian style. Script: Nastaʻlīq ; bold, elegant hand in a heavy line ; serifless, with effect of words descending to baseline, elongation and exaggerated thickness of horizontal strokes, pointing mainly in distinct dots ; Arabic excerpts in a bold naskh, mainly serifless (though alif of lam alif ligature has left-sloping barbed serif) with dramatically sweeping descenders, usually fully vocalized. Layout: Varies ; opening prose work written in 19 lines per page ; written area often divided to three columns with verses on the diagonal or alternating diagonal and horizontal in 10-16 lines (hemistiches) per column, for 15 to 24 lines of verse per page ; frame-ruled. Collation: 4 IV(32), II (36), 2 IV(52), III-1 (57), 3 IV(81), III (87), IV (95), II (99), 8 IV(163), V (173), III (179), 3 IV(203), IV+3 (214) ; middle of the quire marks in the form of black oblique strokes appear in opposite outer corners of the facing leaves ; a few leaves ruled and tinted but left blank in opening work (see fol.33b, 42a, 74b) ; catchwords present. Incipit: [Vaqāʼiʻ-i Ḥaydarābād] "روزنامچۀ وقایع ایام محاصرۀ قلعه دار الجهاد حیدرآباد سیز دهم رجب سنه ٣٠ دمی که مدرس کشاف صبح در صفۀ صدق و صفا ..." ; [Mas̲navī] "حمد و شکر او را که هرچه هست ازوست دام هستی حلقه دار از های و هوست ..." ; [Nān va ḥalvā ] "ایها اللاهی عن العهد القدیم ایها الساهی عن النهج القویم ..." ; [Farhād va Shīrīn] "الهی سینۀ ده آتش افروز در ان سینه دلی و ان دل همه سوز ..." Title supplied by cataloguer from inscription on 'title page' (fol.2a). Ms. codex. 9. fol.213b-fol.214b : [blank]. 8. fol.204b-fol.213a : [other poetic excerpts]. 7. fol.180a-fol.204b : Khusraw [Farhād] va Shīrīn / Vaḥshī Bāfqī. 6. fol.179b : [blank]. 5. fol.169a-fol.179a : Nān va ḥalvā / Bahāʼ al-Dīn ʻĀmilī. 4. fol.168b : [blank]. 3. fol.100b-fol.168a : [Mas̲navī] / Niʻmat Khān ʻĀlī. 2. fol.100a : [blank]. 1. fol.2b-fol.99b : Rūznāmachah-i muḥāṣarah-i Qalʻah-i Dār al-Jihād / Niʻmat Khān ʻĀlī. Dominic Parviz Brookshaw, “ŻIĀʾ-AL-SALṬANA,” Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition, August 15, 2006. Cat. Pers. MSS. Brit. Mus., p.663 Berthels, E. "Niʿmat K̲H̲ān, called ʿĀlī, Mīrzā Nūr al-Dīn Muḥammad." In EI2, vol.VIII, p.48, col.1 p.703 p.268 Splendid copy of a collection of works (majmūʻah) opening with Rūznāmachah-i muḥāṣarah-i Qalʻah-i Dār al-Jihād or Vaqāʼiʻ-i Ḥaydarābād, the journal of the seige of Ḥaydarābād by Awrangzīb in Rajab and Shaʻbān 1097 [1686] composed by Niʻmat Khān ʻĀlī Shīrāzī (d.1710), followed by a Mas̲navī of Niʻmat Khān, Nān va ḥalvā by Bahāʼ al-Dīn ʻĀmilī (d.1621), Farhād va Shīrīn (title in rubricated heading given as Khusraw va Shīrīn), one of the mas̲navīs of Vaḥshī Bāfqī (d.1583), and a few other poetic excerpts. Illustrated with six fine miniatures. Contributions to the cataloguing from Ali Rafi. Purchase ; Acquired by purchase (funds donated by Horace Rackham). 1924. Persian. Inscriptions in pencil on front flyleaf "525 [?] T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" and "260" ; on ‘title page’ rectangular seal impression of Z̤iyāʼ al-Salṭanah Shāh Begum (1799-1873) [ضياء السلطنه شاه بيگم] seventh daughter and private secretary of Fatḥ ʻAlī Shāh Qājār (r.1797-1834), as well as an accomplished calligrapher, accompanying ownership statement dated 1236 [1820 or 21] ; on verso of final leaf (fol.214b), possible shelfmark / inventory mark or book price with Hindu-Arabic and siyāq numerals (contribution to the cataloguing from Ali Rafi) ; occasional marginal corrections.