Delhi Persian 1247 (Oriental Manuscripts, British Library)

Item a.

Lengthy and detailed untitled commentary by Muḥammad Nūr Allāh Aḥrārī on the Sikandar'nāmah mas̲navī (comprised of the Sharaf'nāmah and Khirad'nāmah) from the Khamsah by Ḥakīm Abū Muḥammad Ilyās Ganjavī "Niẓāmī" (d. 614/1217).

This copy is composed of two separate portions originating from heterogeneous sources: 1) the ‘early’ portion (ff. 1-46) characterised by rough nastaʿlīq on small folios with extended margins and raqm foliation, 2) the ‘later’ portion (ff. 47-106) with dense and occasionally rough scribal shikastah āmīz and taʿlīq hands beginning with the invocation "Srī Rām jīv ṣadā (sic) sahāy".

Note at beginning of the first portion (f.1r): completed by Muḥammad Baqāʾ Gangūhī.

Not dated.

Annotations throughout.

Item b.

Fragment from an untitled commentary by an unnamed author on the Sikandar'nāmah mas̲navī (comprised of the Sharaf'nāmah and Khirad'nāmah) from the Khamsah by Ḥakīm Abū Muḥammad Ilyās Ganjavī "Niẓāmī" (d. 614/1217).

Defective at end.

Not dated at end.

Item c.

Fragment from the collection of official and diplomatic correspondence of the diplomat, minister, litterateur and historian of the Timurid (Mughal) Emperor Akbar I (d. 1114/1605), ʿAllāmī Shaykh Abū al-Faz̤l ibn Mubārak Nāgawrī (d. 1602), collected posthumously by his sister’s son and protégé, ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn Afz̤al Muḥammad.

The work begins with an introduction explaining the purpose of the work, and is divided into three daftar or books.

Not dated at end. Although the last line on folio 179v ends with the date 999/1590-1, this cannot be the date of transcription as it predates the compilation.

Discontinuous Persian foliation.