MS. Ouseley 195 (Bodleian Library, Oxford University)

Oriental Manuscripts

Ouseley Collection

Summary of Contents: One beautifully calligraphed copy of Nawā'ī's Lisānu l-Ṭayr, sometimes known as Manṭiqu l-Ṭayr on the basis of the Manṭiq al-Ṭayr of ‘Aṭṭār by which this work was inspired.

Language(s): Classical Chaghatay

Author: Alisher Navoiĭ, 1441-1501 = نظام‌الدین میر علی‌شیر نواٸی هروی Niżāmuddīn Mīr ‘Alīšēr Nawā'ī Harawī

Title: Lisānu l-Ṭayr

Title: لسان الطیر

Title: Manṭiqu l-Ṭayr

Title: منطق الطیر

Rubric: (folios 2b-3a, within the decorated medallions) بُو طُرفَه کتاب شیخْ فَریدْ الدّیٰن‌نینگ سرَّه قدس لسان ألطَیرِی جوابیدَه وَاقع اُولُوبتورْ مثلي یوقتور

Rubric: (folios 4b-5a, within the four decorated ‘unwāns) هٰذا کتاب مَنْطٖق ألطیر من کلآم افصُح ألشعٰرا نوایٖی عَلَیْهٖ الرحّة والغفران وألغَفٖرَة وألرّضوَان

Incipit: (folios 3b-4a) جان قوشي جون منطق راز ایلاکای تینکری حمدی بیسرله آغاز ایلاکای اُول که مخلوقات خلاقي‌دور اول اندین اوزکا فانی و باقی‌دور اُول

Explicit: ((folios 101a, line 10) هر پریشان سوز که یازدیم یا کریم بارجه‌دین اڛتغفر الله العظیم

Colophon: (folios 101a, lower ‘unwān and below) تمّ بالخیر کتاب منطق ألطّیر فی شهور سنه سبع وثلثین وتسعمایه کتبه حاجی محمد التبریزی

The text was originally dedicated to the Timurid Ḥusayn Bāyqarā, Sultan of Khorasan, 1438-1506.

Language(s): Classical Chaghatay

References

Ethé, Hermann. Catalogue of the Persian, Turkish, Hindûstânî and Pushtû Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Part II: Turkish, Hindûstânî, Pushtû and Additional Persian Manuscripts. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1930. col. 1199 § (84) 2122.

Physical Description

Form: codex

Support: fibrous but burnished light cream coloured paper

Extent: 101 folios

Dimensions (leaf): 25.5 × 17.8 cm.

Layout

Single columns of 15 lines per page on most pages, with the two halves of each couplet separated by a gap.

Hand(s)

Script: Clear, small nasta‘līq in black ink with red, blue, gold, and purple inks for the headings within illuminated ‘unwāns. Scribe: A small note at the end of the colophon gives the name of the scribe as حاجی محمد التبریزی Ḥājī Muḥammad al-Tabrīzī, which Ethé (1930: 2122) identifies as an alternate appelation for the famous Safavid calligrapher محمد حسین تبریزی Muḥammad Ḥusayn Tabrīzī.

Decoration

Splendid miniatures on folios 1b and 2a.

Decorated blue and gold medallions around the title/rubrics on folios 2b and 3a.

Splendid blue and gold borders with red hatched cloudbands around the text on folios 3b and 4a. The borders also contain four ‘unwāns with a rubric/title and dedication to Nawā'ī.

Several beautifully decorated floral unwans, many with cloud bands, in different coloured inks and paints for section headings throughout.

Borders around the textbox in red, green, and gold throughout.

Fine gold speckling behind the text in textboxes throughout.

History

Origin: Possibly Tabriz, Iran ; 937 AH; 1530/1 CE

Provenance and Acquisition

The collections of Sir Gore Ouseley, d. 1844

Purchased by the Bodleian Library in 1858.

Record Sources

Description based on Ethé, Hermann. Catalogue of the Persian, Turkish, Hindûstânî and Pushtû Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Part II: Turkish, Hindûstânî, Pushtû and Additional Persian Manuscripts. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1930.

Availability

Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card (for admissions procedures contact Bodleian Admissions). Contact specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk for further information on the availability of this manuscript

Funding of Cataloguing

JISC

Subjects

Chagatai poetry

Comments

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