Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate World

RSPA 7 (Oriental Manuscripts, British Library)

India Office Library

Jones Collection

Royal Society Arabic and Persian

Contents

Ẓafarnāmah with an Introduction and excerpts from the Tuzūkāt-i Tīmūrī

Language(s): Persian

1.

On f1v, Jones has noted that this book was "the gift of the Hon. Justice Hyde 25th June 1792".

Incipit: افتتاح تاریخ جهانداری وابتداء تامه
Explicit: مقدمه بیان آن بود بوضوح پیوست هنگام آن آمد که اصل تاریخ حضرت صاحبفرانی شروع کرده شود ومن الله التوفیق

There is a blue and gold headpiece on f1v inside of which Jones has written his name.

2.
Incipit: حمدا کثرا مبارکا لمن یوتی الملك من یشاء
Explicit: تمت الكتاب بعون الملك الوهاب

Like on f1v, f106v has an illuminated blue and gold headpiece with a floral pattern. The opening folio (f106v-f107r) is also illuminated with a gilded floral pattern and the text is surrounded by gilded illumination.

On f106r, there is a sales note specifying an owner as ʿInāyat Allāh ibn Muḥibb ʿAlī in the year 1077AH (1666-1667AD) in the town of Tateh (Thatta) in Sindh. On f671v, Jones has written "W. Jones. The gift of Mr. Justice Hyde 1792 Calcutta".

3.
Incipit: حضرت صاحبقران در واقعات خود نوشته اند. چون بعنایت آلهی بر تخت سلطنت وجهانداری متمکن شدم
Explicit: تنگری تعالی را شکر کفتم وبمحمد وآل اطهارش النجا بیشتر و بیشتر آوردم

This section is only an excerpt from the longer text of the Tuzūkāt-i Tīmūrī, which itself builds off of the Ẓafarnāmah. These folios are a different paper and style from the rest of the manuscript.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Majority of the manuscript is a very thin brown woven paper. The final folios on which the Tuzūkāt-i Tīmūrī is written are a smooth, thick brown woven paper, which has curled substantially along the edge.
Extent: ff.
Dimensions (leaf): 255 × 200 mm.
Dimensions (written): 185 × 100 mm.
Foliation:

European numerals in pencil.

Condition

Good condition. Worm damage has been repaired. Supports and guards. The folios on which the Tuzūkāt-i Tīmūrī are written have suffered some discolouration and have curled up and around each other on the edge.

Layout

The Muqadimmah and the Ẓafarnāmah are written in a layout of 19 lines in one column on each side. The Tuzūkāt-i Tīmūrī is written transversely across the page (from the top right hand corner to the bottom left hand corner).

Hand(s)

The Muqadimmah and the Ẓafarnāmah are written in a very fine naskh. The Tuzūkāt-i Tīmūrī is written in shikastah.

Decoration

Additions:

On f0v, Jones has written "The Ẓafar Nāma: a most elegant history of Taimur" referring to Tīmūr (d.1405AD) who is the subject of the work.

Binding

Standard India Office half leather binding with marbled endpapers.

Accompanying Material

History

Origin: 1600 - 1666 CE ; India

Provenance and Acquisition

RSPA 1-118 were presented to the Royal Society in January 1792 by Sir William and Lady Jones. According to Wilkins, this manuscript was presented by Lady 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. 5-6 no. VII

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


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