RSPA 36 (Oriental Manuscripts, British Library)

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India Office Library

Jones Collection

Royal Society Arabic and Persian

Contents

Mas̱navī-i Maʿnavī, Book 2 of 6

Language(s): Persian

Title: Mas̱navī-i Maʿnavī
Title: مثنوی معنوی
Author: Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī جلال الدین رومی
Incipit: مدتی این مثنوی تاخیر شد *** مهلتی بایست تا خون شیر شد
Explicit: اینچنین فرمود مولانای ما *** گنج رحمن پیشوای اتقیا

Jones commissioned the six volumes of the Mas̱navī which make up MSs RSPA 35-40. This is clear from a note in MS RSPA 35 in which he acknowledges the scribe: "Written by Maulavī Aâzzu'ddīn began 21 Jan 1790. Began 21 Jan. 1790 25S.R. a month, asked; 30S.R. given". The scribe's name was Mavlavī ʿIzz al-Dīn.

Colophon: تمام شد جلد ثانی

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Strong white European paper. Watermarks are not frequent and tend to be found cut in half as the paper was bound to the margin.
Extent: ff.ii+257+vi
Dimensions (leaf): 230 × 180 mm.
Dimensions (written): 160 × 125 mm.
Foliation:

European numerals in pencil.

Condition

The manuscript is in excellent condition.

Layout

Hand(s)

Very neat black nastaʿlīq with red ink headings.

Decoration

Additions:

Binding

Standard India Office half leather binding with wine-coloured marbled endpapers.

Accompanying Material

History

Origin: 1790 - 1792 CE ; India

Provenance and Acquisition

RSPA 1-118 were presented to the Royal Society in January 1792 by Sir William and Lady Jones. These manuscripts were all given by Sir William Jones.

The Royal Society's collection of 280 Persian and Arabic, and 86 Sanskrit manuscripts were transferred to the India Office Library in 1876.

1876

India Office Library

Record Sources

Manuscript description based on E. Denison Ross and E. G. Browne, Catalogue of two collections of Persian and Arabic manuscripts preserved in the India Office Library (London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1902), p.29-30 no.XXXV-XL

Availability

Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card for admissions procedures contact British Library, Registering for a Reader Pass. Contact apac-enquiries@bl.uk for further information on the availability of this manuscript. For information on catalogues and ordering manuscripts see Finding and ordering Persian manuscripts in the British Library.

Funding of Cataloguing

BL

Subjects

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