Shahnama Project : Shahnama

Firdausi

Shahnama Project

<p style='text-align: justify;'><p>Binding modern, European, pale blue boards with dark blue leather spine, on which is written title and shelfmark in gold. The doublures are of plain thick creamy paper.</p><p>The margins are ruled in dark blue, space, two thick yellow ochre lines (imitating gold); the columns are of the same colour, a single ruled line, as are the frames for the rubrics. The titles are in nasta'liq, in dark crimson red.</p><p>The opening folios are damaged and have been remargined. The ms. opens with a sarlauh (f.1v), with a space left blank for an inscription. There is no preface.Incipit: Siyavush gar-ash ruz baz amadi (?) perhaps to be equated with Mohl: 13g: 2211: Siyavush ruzi kih baz amadi. The folios are possibly a little disturbed, but the text begins with the end of the reign of Kay Khusrau. There are no catchwords.</p><p>The paper is thick and of a bluish tinge, with a watermark. The paintings, of characteristic Qajar style, are typically spread over three of the four columns, rather than the full width of the text block.</p><p>Twice seen briefly and preliminary notes by Ch.M., February 2007 and February 2008.It has only been possible to acquire a handful of images and not, as yet, a full list of the paintings. For a brief description - without illustrations - see Bagher Najafi, p. 137.</p></p>