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Key to the comprehensive divination (Tercüme-i Miftah-ı Cifrü’l-Cami), Turkish translation of the Arabic Miftah al-jafr al-jami`, by Shaykh `Abd al-Rahman al-Bistami (d. 1458)

Title	Key to the comprehensive divination (Tercüme-i Miftah-ı Cifrü’l-Cami), Turkish translation of the Arabic Miftah al-jafr al-jami`, by Shaykh `Abd al-Rahman al-Bistami (d. 1458)
Author	Istanbul
Publication Date:	1747 (1160H)
Type	Document
Language	Turkish
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	Yes
Physical Dimensions	191 mm x 125 mm x 40 mm (height x width x depth)
Library:	Chester Beatty
Record ID	T 444
Library Location	Turkish collection
Date	1747 (1160H)
Notes	Key to the comprehensive divination (Tercüme-i Miftah-ı Cifrü’l-Cami), Turkish translation of the Arabic Miftah al-jafr al-jami`, by Shaykh `Abd al-Rahman al-Bistami (d. 1458). This work on cryptic science draws from the divination tradition linked with the Shi`a Imam Ja`far al-Sadiq (d. 765), and discusses places, signs and prophecies of the apocalypse. This copy follows closely a late sixteenth-century manuscript dedicated to an earlier Ottoman sultan, except for the paintings: very unusually, the painter here has omitted figures from many of the landscape scenes, and has replaced the sultans' faces with roses. Codex, ink, colours and gold on paper, 423 folios, Turkish text in naskh script, 52 paintings, Key to the comprehensive divination and a lamp of brilliant light (Tercüme-i Miftah-ı Cifrü’l-Cami...), Turkish translation of the Arabic work (Miftah al-jafr al-jami` wa misbah al-nur al-lami), also titled The Set Pearls, Concerning the Secret of [God’s] Greatest Name (al-Durr al-munazzam fi sirr al-ism al-a‘zam), first composed in Arabic by Shaykh `Abd al-Rahman al-Bistami (d. 1458), abridged and translated into Turkish c. 1600 by Sharif ibn Sayyid Muhammad ibn Shaykh Sayyid Burhan, this manuscript copied (from a 1597-8 work dedicated to Sultan Mehmet III) by Hajji `Uthman al-Busnawi ("the Bosnian"), pupil of Ibrahim al-Rudusi ("from Rhodes"), produced for the future Ottoman sultan Mustafa III (r. 1757-73), Istanbul, Turkey, dated 1160H, 1747.
Materyal	Paper (material), Pigment (material), Ink (material), Gold
Nesne Adı	Codex
Yazı Tipi	Naskh script

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Key to the comprehensive divination (Tercüme-i Miftah-ı Cifrü’l-Cami), Turkish translation of the Arabic Miftah al-jafr al-jami`, by Shaykh `Abd al-Rahman al-Bistami (d. 1458)

Author Istanbul

Publication Date 1747 (1160H)

Type Document

Language Turkish

Digital Yes

Manuscript Yes

Physical Dimensions 191 mm x 125 mm x 40 mm (height x width x depth)

Library Chester Beatty

Record ID T 444

Library Location Turkish collection

Date 1747 (1160H)

Notes Key to the comprehensive divination (Tercüme-i Miftah-ı Cifrü’l-Cami), Turkish translation of the Arabic Miftah al-jafr al-jami`, by Shaykh `Abd al-Rahman al-Bistami (d. 1458). This work on cryptic science draws from the divination tradition linked with the Shi`a Imam Ja`far al-Sadiq (d. 765), and discusses places, signs and prophecies of the apocalypse. This copy follows closely a late sixteenth-century manuscript dedicated to an earlier Ottoman sultan, except for the paintings: very unusually, the painter here has omitted figures from many of the landscape scenes, and has replaced the sultans' faces with roses. Codex, ink, colours and gold on paper, 423 folios, Turkish text in naskh script, 52 paintings, Key to the comprehensive divination and a lamp of brilliant light (Tercüme-i Miftah-ı Cifrü’l-Cami...), Turkish translation of the Arabic work (Miftah al-jafr al-jami` wa misbah al-nur al-lami), also titled The Set Pearls, Concerning the Secret of [God’s] Greatest Name (al-Durr al-munazzam fi sirr al-ism al-a‘zam), first composed in Arabic by Shaykh `Abd al-Rahman al-Bistami (d. 1458), abridged and translated into Turkish c. 1600 by Sharif ibn Sayyid Muhammad ibn Shaykh Sayyid Burhan, this manuscript copied (from a 1597-8 work dedicated to Sultan Mehmet III) by Hajji `Uthman al-Busnawi ("the Bosnian"), pupil of Ibrahim al-Rudusi ("from Rhodes"), produced for the future Ottoman sultan Mustafa III (r. 1757-73), Istanbul, Turkey, dated 1160H, 1747.

Materyal Paper (material), Pigment (material), Ink (material), Gold

Nesne Adı Codex

Yazı Tipi Naskh script