- Language(s)
-
Turkish, Ottoman
- Published
-
[15--?].
- Subjects
-
Alexander,
>
Alexander, /
the Great,
>
Alexander, / the Great, /
356 B.C.-323 B.C.
>
Alexander, / the Great, / 356 B.C.-323 B.C. /
Poetry.
Manuscripts, Turkish
>
Manuscripts, Turkish /
Michigan
>
Manuscripts, Turkish / Michigan /
Ann Arbor.
Turkish poetry.
- Summary
-
Fine copy of the work by the renowned Ottoman poet Ahmedî on the life and deeds of Alexander the Great, expanding on the features of the legend as they appear in Firdawsī and Niẓāmī with many philosophical digressions and ending with a sketch of Islamic history concluding with an important versified history of the Ottomans.
- Note
-
Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center, Isl. Ms. 677
Origin: Lacks dated colophon ; paper, etc. would suggest 16th century.
Accompanying materials: a. Inventory cataloguing slip in hand of Winifred Smeaton Thomas. -- b. Acquisitions slip from Yahuda.
Former shelfmark: From 'title page,' "IL 414" (likely supplied by Yahuda, see acquisitions slip).
Binding: Pasteboards covered in now dull yellow European laid paper (three crescent watermark visible) with red leather over spine and fore edge flap ; Type II binding (with flap) ; board linings in marbled paper in blue and cream yellow ; sewn in cream thread, two stations ; worked chevron endbands in cream and pink, significant losses at head and tail ; overall in somewhat poor condition with significant staining and abrasion, losses to upper board at lower corner, upper cover fully detached at spine, lifting and losses of leather, foreedge flap detaching at lower cover, etc. ; housed in box for protection.
Support: European laid paper of perhaps two types ; mainly with 9 laid lines per cm. (horizontal), chain lines spaced 28 mm. apart (vertical), and anchor (two line) in circle with star above watermark (see p.40, 46, 56, 60, 100, etc.) ; another type with 9-10 laid lines per cm. (horizontal), chain lines spaced 29 mm. apart (vertical), and watermark of font with lid and cross [leaf] (or cardinal's mitre / chapeau) (see p.26 and compare Chapeau nos. 3447, etc. in Briquet, Les Filigranes, Chapeau nos.2-8 in Velkov, Les Filigranes dans les documents Ottomans and nos. 31-32 in Nikolaev, Watermarks of the Ottoman Empire, vol. 1) ; sturdy and well-burnished.
Decoration: Keywords and section headings rubricated ; some section headings in green-blue ; written area and columns within surrounded by red rule-border.
Script: Naskh ; compact, elegant, Turkish hand ; virtually serifless with very slight tilt to the left, curvilinear descenders, occasional sweeping tails on qāf, etc., freely ligatured, pointing in strokes and distinct dots.
Layout: Written in 21 lines per page with written area divided to four columns and two lines of verse per line, for 42 lines of verse per page ; frame-ruled.
Collation: 2 IV(16), VII (30), 2 IV(46), V (56), VI (68), V+1 (79), V (89), IV-2 (95) ; catchwords present ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization (skips two pages between pp.167-168).
Explicit: "خيرله اولسون دني عقبيده شاد احمديى هر كه ايده خيرله ياد"
Incipit: "ذكر بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم قامونسدن [قامونسنه] بزه كيدر اى حكيم هر كيمككم يولداشى توفيق اولا هرنه سوزكم سويليا تحقيق اولا"
Title from inscriptions on 'title page' (p.1).
Ms. codex.
Several former owners' marks on 'title page' (p.1) including a virtually effaced oval seal impression, an ownership statement opening "من كتب الفقير..." with owner's name effaced, in purple ink the large crescent-shaped stamp of Maktabat al-Shahbāʼ, Ḥalab, (also on p.3), a possible former inventory mark with "٢٧", etc. ; further effaced statements and seal impressions appear on incipit and facing page (pp.2-3) ; seal impression is repeated on p.51 ; effaced seal impression at close on p.186 ; occasional marginal corrections.
- Physical Description
-
95 leaves :
paper ;
310 x 215 (208 x 133) mm.