Shahnama Project : Shahnama

Firdausi

Shahnama Project

<p style='text-align: justify;'><p>The manuscript has been paginated by Ch.M. in the course of a visit in November 2008. One folio between ff. 84 and 85 was omitted inadvertently and has been numbered f. 84bis. The total number of folios is thus 533 (which agrees with the count in Simsar, pp. 73-6, which was based on a foliation from left to right, as in a European book, made on the verso side of the pages). All references in the ms. are made to the new pagination, but after f. 84, the true folio no. should be x+1. Note that the folio nos. given by Simsar are misleading, as they start from the flyleaves (they are thus 3 too high).</p><p>The binding is of modern crimson leather; the doublures preserve the original blind-pressed brown leather covers (Simsar). The paper is oriental, thin and glazed. Marginal rulings in red, gold and blue. Rubrics are in red ink, sometimes omitted (especially in the final folios of the ms.) and sometimes provided later in a crude hand.</p><p>The text starts with a prose preface, but neither of the two main ones (Abu Mansuri, Baysunghuri).</p><p>The catchwords are in place throughout the text. There is some disturbance in the text: f. 24r should follow f. 21v, and f. 31r should not follow f. 30v (according to the catchwords); further investigation of this is needed.</p><p>Fol. 6r (end of Preface) is blank; book (daftar) 1 ends on f. 135v (without a colophon), and f. 136r is also blank. Daftar 2 starts under an illuminated heading on f. 136v. Fol. 477v is also left blank.</p><p>Three carpet pages of heavy illumination are found at the beginning of the preface (ff. 1v-2r), the start of the poem (ff. 6v-7r) and the start of daftar 2 (ff. 136v-137r).</p><p>The manuscript, which is defective at the end and has no colophon, appears to be of the late 15th or early 16th century; the paintings, as noted by Simsar, appear to be &apos;considerably later&apos;.</p><p>Thanks to Bill Lang in 2006 and Janine Pollock in 2008 for their whole-hearted assistance.</p></p>