Baharistan of Jami

Baharistan (Spring landscape) by Jami, a collection of short stories, good early copy of this work, which was written in AH 892/AD 1487. It is divided into 8 sections called 'raudah', meaning garden. This copy written in nasta 'liq, Persian in 1568, no place of writing is given but a gloss in Turkish on folio 5b suggests a Turkish provenance.

Jami (1414-1495), full name Moulana Nur ad-Din Abd ar-Rahman Jami, was one of the great classical Sufi poets of Persia. Born in Jam in Khorasan, Afghanistan, he studied in Samarkand and Herat. He wrote a great number of works on theology, grammar and poetry, producing three diwans containing lyrical poems and odes, including Haft Aurang (The Seven Thrones). At 70 years old he produced his masterpiece, Yusuf and Zulaika, a work of mystical allegory. He was also known as a saint for his devotion to dervish teaching and to Sufi philosophy. Despite many invitations he refused to become a court poet either at the Ottoman court or for the ruling Timurids.

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Catalogued by DM Dunlop.

Call number used to be msPK6490.B2

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Description compiled by Maia Sheridan, Archives Hub project archivist, based on material from the Manuscripts Database

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