El-dürr el-masun ve esrar el-meknun - الدر المصون و اسرار المكنون

This volume contains an outline of the history of the Muslim dynasties by Ebu Mehmet Mustafa el-şerif el-Hüseyni. The work consists of two volumes bound together, the second of which (copied in 991 AH/1583-84 CE) was placed in the binding before the first (copied in 992 AH/1584-85 CE) and the whole was refoliated and provided with a table of contents (ff 1v-2v). The work, which is dedicated to Murat III, is described by the author as a brief outline (muhtasar) but he does not mention his sources. The work contains the following sections: The Prophet Muhammad صلعم and the Four First Caliphs (ff 74v-84v); the Umayyads (ff 84v-97r); the Abbasids (ff 97r-123v); the Abbasids in Egypt (ff 123v-139v); the Samanids (ff 139v-142r); the Ghaznavids (ff 142r-148r); the Dailamites (ff 148r-150r); the Ghurids (ff 150r-153r); the Sur branch of the Ghurids (ff 153r-153v); the Buwayhids (ff 153v-159v); the Seljuks (ff 160r-174r); the Seljuks of Kerman and of Syria (ff 174r-179r); the Seljuks of Rum (ff 179v-192v); the Danishmendites (ff 193r-197r); the Khwarazmshahs (ff 198v-206r); the Atabeys of Fars (ff 206v-208v); the Blue Horde (Kings of the Kipchaks) (ff 220v-233r); the Karamanoğlular (ff 233r-235v); the Emirs of Anatolia (Mülukü't-tavayıf) (ff 235v-236v); the Rulers of Kerman (i.e. the dynasty of Burak Hacip) (ff 237r-238r); the Muzaffarids (ff 238v-241r); the Sarbadars (ff 241r-245r); Rulers of India (ff 245r-254r); Kings of Gilan (ff 254r-255v); Shirvanshahs (ff 255v-259v); Jalairids (ff 259v-263v); Timurids (ff 263v-301v); Uzbeks (ff 301v-305r); Akkoyunlu (ff 305r-312r); Karakoyunlu (ff 312r-316r); Zülkadar Dynasty (ff 316r-322r); and Safavids (ff 322v-328v). There are two unvans in this text, alongside detailed illumination on ff 74v-75r, and illuminated headings in each section. According to an illuminated title page (f 74v), this volume was made for Gazanfer Ağa. It was transcribed by İbrahim İbn-i Halil, resident at Yenice Vardar (contemporary Giannitsa, Greece), müderris in the medrese of Musa Bey el-Urbusi (?), in 991-92 AH (1583-85 CE).

Unrestricted

Purchased by the British Museum from Dr. Oskar Rescher in May 1964.

For more information on Gazanfer Ağa, see Babinger, GO, p. 133 note 1.

Giannitsa, Greece