King's Pote 93(1) (King's College Library, King's College Cambridge)

Pote Collection

Summary of Contents: 1 copy of Malfūẓāt (“Memoirs of Tīmūr”).

Author: Timur, 1336-1405 (attributed) تيمور

Title: Malfūẓāt (“Memoirs of Tīmūr”)

Title: Tūzuk-i Tīmūriya

Title: ملفوظات امير تيمور

Title: توزك تيمورية

Language(s): Persian

Colophon details: Date: 27 Ramaḍān, 1126 / 6 Oct 1714 Scribe: Anonymous.

Colophon further notes: Colophon: year 4 Farrukhsiyar.

Note concerning manuscript: On box: 93(1) - but 93(1) and 93(2) are two distinct copies of the same work.

References

Browne no. 1245

Palmer no. 93.1

Catalogue of the Persian manuscripts in the British Museum (3 vols.) C. Rieu 1879-1883 pp.177-80 [BL Or. 158]

Catalogue of Persian manuscripts in the library of the India Office (2 vols.) H. Ethé 1903-37 col.84-6, no. 196 [BL IO Islamic 1943]

Persian Literature: a bio-bibliographical survey C. A. Storey 1927–39 I.1 p.281 (1126H)

Mughals in India: a bibliographical survey. Vol. 1. Manuscripts D.N. Marshall 1962 p.466

Physical Description

Form: codex

Extent: 193 folios.

Dimensions (leaf): 22 × 13.7 cm.

Dimensions (written): 17.5 × 9 cm.

Foliation: Foliated.

Layout

17 lines per page.

Not ruled. Red rubrications.

Hand(s)

Script: Indian nastaʿlīq. Scribe: Anonymous.

Additions:

F.1r: three seals including that of Polier (twice) and Kamāl al-dīn Khān, dated 24 Shaʿbān in Shāhjahānābād (a man of that name is also mentioned in the colophon). A note states that the work was written by Abū Ṭālib al-Ḥusaynī. The same author's name appears in the text of f.1v, where it is also stated that the work covers the rule of Timur from age 7-74. It is a translation from a text in Turkic found in the library of a Yemeni ruler.

Binding

Plain dark brown leather, Indian style. Orange paper doublures. Condition: The spine is damaged. The lower board is separated. Dimensions: 22.7 × 14 × 3 cm. Unboxed. Polier's number: 188.

History

Origin: 27 Ramaḍān, 1126 AH; 6 Oct 1714 CE

Provenance and Acquisition

The "Pote Collection" arrived in England from India in 1790 and was divided between the Colleges of Eton and King's, Cambridge, with the first half alphabetically going to King's. Both halves of the collection are now housed in Cambridge University Library on permanent loan. Most if not all of the manuscripts had previously been owned by Colonel Antoine-Louis Henri Polier (1741–1795).

Gift of Edward Ephraim Pote (d.1832) in 1788.

Record Sources

Manuscript description based on E. G. Browne, "A supplementary hand-list of the Muhammadan manuscripts, including all those written in the Arabic character, preserved in the Library of the University of Cambridge", Cambridge, 1922 and E. H. Palmer, "Catalogue of the oriental manuscripts in the library of King's College, Cambridge", J.R.A.S. v.3 (1867), pp.105-131 enhanced with additional descriptions and corrections by Shiva Mihan.

Availability

All manuscripts of the Pote Collection are on permanent loan at Cambridge University Library. Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card for admissions procedures consult Cambridge University Library. Contact near_eastern@lib.cam.ac.uk for further information on the availability of this manuscript

Bibliography

Work in multiple volumes bearing the class-marks: 93(1), 93(2).

Funding of Cataloguing

King's College Cambridge

Subjects

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