Nizami, Sharafnama [Book of Honour]

This material is held atSchool of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Archives, University of London

  • Reference
    • GB 102 MS 24952
  • Dates of Creation
    • c 1590 CE
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
    • Persian
  • Physical Description
    • 1 volume

Scope and Content

The Sharafnama is the first half of Nizami's story of Iskandar, or Alexander the Great. This illustrated copy originally had 12 miniatures. Nine folios with miniatures have been extracted from the manuscript, and they are now owned by the Victoria Art Gallery, Bath City Council. These have been on loan to the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery since 1976. The colophon mentions a date of 880AH (1475 CE). However, although this may be the correct date of the text, the miniatures were produced in the Mughal Emperor Akbar's imperial studio in the 1590s. Two of the folios with miniatures are inscribed with the artist's name: Makra on fol. 27v and Shiyam on fol. 81r. Mughal India.

Access Information

Open

Acquisition Information

Gift of Lt.-Col. D. C. Philott.

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections, SOAS Library in the first instance