Shahnama Project : Shahnama

Firdausi

Shahnama Project

<p style='text-align: justify;'><p>An unillustrated Indian manuscript in a rather poor condition: the binding is detached from the codex, the folios are badly worm eaten and the edges of the folios are worn.</p><p>Provenance: there is an exlibris of the former owner William Blane and a note saying that the manuscript was presented to the Indian Institute in Oxford by T.L. Blane, Esq. There are several seals, some of them are scratched out, some are still rather clear, e.g. a rather small rectangular seal containing the name of Pir Khan Bahadur Khan and the date 914 (?).</p><p>The colophon (f. 314r) in the middle of the ms, is probably from another one, as the calligraphy is similar to the first page. It is said that the second book of the Shahnama by Firdausi was finished on 9 Muharram 1016/6 May 1607 in Jaynpur for Kabir b. Shaykh Muzaffar, native of Muhammadabad known as Kalpi. This information is also contained in the note attached to the inside back cover signed by A.F. Beeston on 22 August 1935 (although he read the name of the scribe as Kabir b. Shaykh Nizam.</p><p>There is a prose Preface (ff. 1r-6r), no beginning, satire on Mahmud (43 baits, ff. 3v-4r).</p><p>Unvan f. 7v, very unusual, from another ms, smaller dimensions.</p><p>Paper of different quality: thicker Oriental and possibly some odd European sheets.</p><p>318v – blank space for a picture, however, not obvious what.</p><p>388r – end of the poem, no colophon</p><p>389v-390r – beginning of the next chapter</p><p>(Preliminary notes, FA)</p></p>