Mathnavi.

£30,000 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books · No longer available

from the timurid courts of persia A fine timurid copy of the complete mathnavi by the revered sufi saint jalal al-din rumi. This is Rumi's most celebrated work and a pillarstone of Sufi literature, formed of a vast collection of self-reflective lyrical anecdotes of Sufi wisdom inspired by the Qur'an and Islamic teachings. This vast collection of 'mathnavis' (a form of Persian meter) was compiled by Rumi, known as Mawlana (master), in circa 1244 during the poet's time in Anatolia. What sets this particular collection of poetry aside from his contemporaries, is that Rumi compiled these verses in a spontaneous manner as a reflection of events or thoughts that appeared to him over the course of his everyday life. The revelatory nature of the composition and loosely connected narrative of didactic stories made this work immensely popular with Eastern and Western audiences alike, and has remained one of the most collected poetical works internationally since Rumi's death in 1273 AD. This manuscript demonstrates the absolute best in manuscript production of the Timurid Empire, with influences from the Ottoman world as well; suggesting manuscript production in the eastern regions of the Timurid Empire, possibly in Qazvin. The paper is of a very high quality, fibrous polished buff paper (probably produced in Damascus), and although there is no scribal attribution the manuscript has been copied in an elegant and regular hand showcasing an early style of nasta'liq script. The finesse of

• Binding: Hardcover

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