Persian MS 416 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)
Persian Manuscripts
Contents
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Preface and conclusion written in 1 column with 17 lines per page. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in clear black nasta‘līq with red subheaders.
Decoration
Ruling: Central text areas of the preface and conclusion ruled with single blue surrounded by double red lines, with single dark blue lines on the outer margins. Tables ruled in eighteen columns and four rows each, which span the gutter margins.
Inscriptions: The right flyleaf a side (f. ia) bears the title, author's name, and that of former Colonel George William Hamilton (1807-1868) in Persian
Bookplates: The left pastedown: ‘Bibliotheca Lindesiana’ with pencilled shelfmark ‘2/B’, and ‘Hamilton MSS No. 333’, with the name and number crossed out and ‘Persian’ and ‘416’ written aside.
Binding
Probably rebound in a hybrid British-Indian style in Dehli for former owner Colonel George William Hamilton.
Bifolia of similar stock added to the beginning and and end as endpapers. Sewn all along on two tapes. Head and tail edges trimmed, and endbands omitted at head and tail. Covered in a hemmed binding with red goatskin leather applied to the spine and pasteboard edges, faced with British-made, predominantly dark green 'Spanish' wave-patterned marbled paper, with squares along the edges, defined joints, and without a flap (Type III binding as per Déroche). Wide internal paper hinges adhere the textblock to the cover.
Octagonal paper spine label bears the title and author's name in black nasta‘līq script.
331 × 181 × 21 mm.
Handle binding with caution. In fair but stable condition, with cracks at the headcaps and extensive abrasion at the edges.
Accompanying Material
A wide strip of bright blue machine-made letter paper placed as a book mark tucked in table 7 inscribed ‘A’, ‘80 volumes’, and ‘80’ on the reverse, probably in the hand of Alexander Lindsay.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Possibly given by Ḥātim ʻAlī Mahar (1815–1879) to Colonel George William Hamilton (1807-1868), who served in India from 1823 to 1867, latterly as Commissioner in Delhi. He acquired over a thousand Indian and Persian manuscripts, from which the British Museum purchased 352 from his widow, Charlotte Logie Hamilton (1817–1893), now held in the British Library.
Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (1812–1880), purchased the remainder in 1868 for Bibliotheca Lindesiana at Haigh Hall, Wigan.
Purchased by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1901 from James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford (1847–1913).
Bequeathed by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1908 to the John Rylands Library, Manchester.
Record Sources
Bibliographical description based on an index created by Reza Navabpour circa 1993, derived from a manuscript catalogue by Michael Kerney, circa 1890s, concisely published as Bibliotheca Lindesiana, Hand-list of Oriental Manuscripts: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, 1898.
Manuscript description and corrections by Jake Benson in 2025 with reference to the manuscript in hand.
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.
Bibliography
Funding of Cataloguing
Iran Heritage Foundation
The John Rylands Research Institute
The Soudavar Memorial Foundation
Please fill out your details.