Persian MS 391 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)
Persian Manuscripts
Contents
Physical Description
Foliation marked at top-right corners of the a sides in Hindu-Arabic numerals in black ink.
Collation
Condition
Layout
Written in 1 column, with 27 lines per page. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in a clear, small naskh hand in black, with subheaders in red.
Folios 1b to 7b and 218a to 222b written in another larger naskh hand in black, with subheaders in red to restore the volume.
Table of Contents: written in another compartively hasty hand on the second to third right flyleaves (ff. iia–iiib).
Inscription: The first right flyleaf a side (f. ia) bears the title of the volume and the name of former owner Colonel George William Hamilton.
Bookplates: The left pastedown: ‘Bibliotheca Lindesiana’ with pencilled shelfmark ‘1/C’, and ‘Hamilton MSS No. 308’ with the name and number crossed out and ‘Persian’ and ‘391’ written aside.
Binding
Probably uniformly rebound in a hybrid British-Indian style in Multan, together with the other volumes in full red goatskin leather over pasteboards, without a flap (type III binding per Déroche), as a set for former owner Colonel George William Hamilton.
284 × 180 × 52 mm.
Handle with caution. In fair condition, with the opening restricted due to cross-grain paper employed for the text block, which split between 121b to 124a. The exterior bears mild abrasion, and white salts (spew) likely resulting from prolonged exposure to moisture.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Obtained by Colonel George William Hamilton (1807-1868) who served in India from 1823 to 1867, latterly as Commissioner in Delhi. During his tenure, he acquired over a thousand Indian and Persian manuscripts, from which the British Museum selected 352 volumes after his death, now held in the British Library.
In 1868, Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (1812–1880) purchased the remainder.
Purchased by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1901 from James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford (1847–1913).
Bequeathed by Enriqueta Rylands in 1908 to the John Rylands Library.
Record Sources
Bibliographical description based on an index created by Reza Navabpour circa 1993, derived from a manuscript catalogue by Michael Kerney, circa 1890s and his Bibliotheca Lindesiana, Hand-list of Oriental Manuscripts: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, 1898.
Manuscript description by Jake Benson in 2021 with reference to the volume.
Availability
To book an in-person or online appointment to consult the manuscript, visit Using the Special Collections Reading Rooms. For any other enquiries please email uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk.
Funding of Cataloguing
Iran Heritage Foundation
The John Rylands Research Institute
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