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Cologny, Martin Bodmer Foundation, Cod. Bodmer 501: "Sentences of Ali"

Title	Cologny, Martin Bodmer Foundation, Cod. Bodmer 501: "Sentences of Ali"
Publication Date:	1559
Type	Document
Language	Persian
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Library:	University of Alabama at Birmingham Libraries
Record ID	cdi_manuscriptorium_primary_ECODIC_FMBC_CODBODMER5012WJEN75_en
Library Location	Available Online
Date	1559
Notes	This manuscript, written in Persian, contains a selection of the “One Hundred Sayings by Ali,” a collection of sayings and proverbs traditionally attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth rightly guided Caliph as well as cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad. Among the Shiites (from šīʿat ʿAlī, the “party of Ali"), Ali plays an important religious role as the first imam. This manuscript was written in 1559 by the calligrapher Jalal ibn Muhammad in Bukhara. For the text he used the Nastaliq script, a calligraphic script widely used for the Persian-Arabic alphabet; for the titles, however, he used the ordinary Arabic Nasḫī script. The six full-page miniatures, highlighted in gold, were added in the second/third quarter of the 17th century. Noteworthy on p. 9v at bottom center is the rare depiction of a figure turning his back to the observer, of whom one can see only the back of the head. On the same page at the left, behind several musicians, two Europeans can be recognized by their clothing.

View in source University of Alabama at Birmingham Libraries

University of Alabama at Birmingham Libraries

Cologny, Martin Bodmer Foundation, Cod. Bodmer 501: "Sentences of Ali"

Publication Date 1559

Type Document

Language Persian

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Library University of Alabama at Birmingham Libraries

Record ID cdi_manuscriptorium_primary_ECODIC_FMBC_CODBODMER5012WJEN75_en

Library Location Available Online

Date 1559

Notes This manuscript, written in Persian, contains a selection of the “One Hundred Sayings by Ali,” a collection of sayings and proverbs traditionally attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth rightly guided Caliph as well as cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad. Among the Shiites (from šīʿat ʿAlī, the “party of Ali"), Ali plays an important religious role as the first imam. This manuscript was written in 1559 by the calligrapher Jalal ibn Muhammad in Bukhara. For the text he used the Nastaliq script, a calligraphic script widely used for the Persian-Arabic alphabet; for the titles, however, he used the ordinary Arabic Nasḫī script. The six full-page miniatures, highlighted in gold, were added in the second/third quarter of the 17th century. Noteworthy on p. 9v at bottom center is the rare depiction of a figure turning his back to the observer, of whom one can see only the back of the head. On the same page at the left, behind several musicians, two Europeans can be recognized by their clothing.