Insights into Timurid Period Manuscripts at Uzbekistan's Institute of
Oriental Studies
Bekhzod B. Khadjimetov
a
and Abdumajid A. Madraimov
b
National Institute of Art and Design, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Keywords: Manuscript Book, Sharofiddin Ali Yazdi, Zafarnama, Alisher Navoi, Devon, Paper, Paper, Khirot, Samarkand
Paper, Miniature, Calligraphy, Paint, Gold Paint, Ribbed, Macro Photography.
Abstract: In this article, a physical and macroscopic analysis of the Timurid manuscript, created in Herat in the second
half of the 15th century and the 16th century, kept in the treasury of the Institute of Oriental Studies named
after Abu Rayhan Beruni of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, is carried out. Papers of
the studied manuscripts were described by visual inspection, thickness and thickness, degree of wear and
quality. Manuscript sheets OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA.MODEL NO. He took a macro picture using a
special TG-4 camera and analyzed it based on this. As a result of the analysis, the thickness of the paint
applied to the surface of the sheets, the gold paint and the color coatings were also studied. Calligraphic
inscriptions, pages with miniature pictures were studied separately. Samples of photographs were taken from
the beginning, middle, end, and rest pages of each manuscript and compared. It was found that the quality of
the paper used for the study of the manuscripts' calligraphic notes and miniatures was different from each
other. A brief description of the results of the study of the pages of the researched manuscripts is given and
the conclusions are stated.
1 INTRODUCTION
The official recognition of Mumtaz Sharq miniature
art by UNESCO has strengthened the study and
promotion of authentic illustrated manuscripts and
miniatures, which are their decorations. Today,
special attention is being paid to issues such as
studying and restoring the history of hand-made
paper-making traditions that have existed since
ancient times in the territory of Uzbekistan. Examples
of this are the “Heritage” in the village of Konigil in
Samarkand, the “Usto Davron miniature school” in
Bukhara, the professors-teachers of the department of
“Miniature and calligraphy” of the Kamoliddin
Behzod National Art Institute, and it should be
recognized that this is one of the great achievements
in this field. The organization of this scientific
conference dedicated to Samarkand paper is one of
the important works in this direction. On the world
stage, foreign scientists and artists are conducting
some researches for the purpose of studying the
original composition of Samarkand paper, restoring
a
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6574-740X
b
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2969-0282
damaged pages of prestigious manuscripts, painting
and painting miniatures. Even now, in order to
develop educational, scientific and innovative
cooperation between Uzbekistan and Japan, “The
research for the culture of contemporary hand-made
paper and artistic expression” (Research on the
cultural and artistic significance of modern hand-
made paper) is conducting research on paper within
the scientific and practical project.
A.Yu.Kaziev, A.A.Semyonov, I.Odilov, Zotov,
N.Habibullaev and other scientists began to study
historical sources and practical processes related to
the history of Eastern manuscript papers, their origin
and preparation. Until now, the composition of
papers, the method of preparation and drying, and
their qualities have not been thoroughly studied. The
important practical aspect of this research is that the
authors put forward new views, assumptions and
ideas on the basis of manuscripts of various origins
and places of creation, their paintings, papers, artistic
features of their paintings, the colors of the paints
used. This article examines the manuscripts of the
Khadjimetov, B. and Madraimov, A.
Insights into Timurid Period Manuscripts at Uzbekistan’s Institute of Oriental Studies.
DOI: 10.5220/0012974800003882
Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
In Proceedings of the 2nd Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR-2 2023), pages 1441-1446
ISBN: 978-989-758-723-8
Proceedings Copyright © 2024 by SCITEPRESS Science and Technology Publications, Lda.
1441
Timurid period in three ways: 1. Seeing them
(visually). 2. Physical state - holding a page by hand,
looking at it with a light beam and using a magnifying
glass. 3. Macro photography using a special photo
camera (OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA.MODEL
NO. TG-4 photo camera).
The whole world recognized the peak of art and
culture during the Timurid period in Central Asia.
Contemporaries also noted that during the period of
Timur and Timurids, magnificent constructions and
various types of art flourished in Central Asia, and
this situation was manifested in a new way. Historian
Ibn Arabshakh notes that the structures built by the
Timurids in Samarkand were “built in a new style.”
The development of the art of literacy in Central
Asia is connected with the development of science,
culture and enlightenment, especially poetry. Papers
popular at the end of the 15th century and the
beginning of the 16th century were called “Hitoyi”,
“Samarkandi”, “Bukhari”, “Baghdadi”, “Isfakhani”,
“Kashmiri” and others. In the Middle Ages, many
articles were written about the world-famous
“Samarkandpaper, and it was studied to some extent
by scientists.
Calligraphy and miniature painting, closely
related to the art of reading in the Middle Ages,
flourished especially in the XV-XVII centuries.
Along with calligraphy and painting, miniatures were
considered one of the main decorations in the
decoration of manuscripts, pages and covers.
These rare manuscripts were prepared for use in
the personal libraries of the rulers of their time. When
turning the pages of the books, one can see the quality
of the paper the book is made of, the decoration of the
covers and covers, the miniatures depicted in it, and
the skillfully written letters of the calligraphers.
It can be seen that the issues related to the
preparation of books and their decoration required
hard work and a lot of money. Spiritual and artistic
sultans, ministers and governors of their time engaged
in this work and sponsored their training. Miniature
painting, which is an integral part of kitobot art,
which deserves to be recognized as court art, is
widespread in the countries of the East.
Kitobot art flourished at the end of the 15th
century in the city of Herat, the capital of the
Timurids, and was performed at a high level by the
skilled masters of the palace library. According to
many historical sources, manuscript books were the
result of collective work and cooperation of palace
workshop employees. Several specialists participated
in the creation of a manuscript book: a paper cutter, a
calligrapher, a muzaxkhib (a gold giver), a lavvoh (a
designer of titles and tables), an artist, a painter, and
a sahaf (cover maker). Based on the above
information, the manuscript fund of the Institute of
Oriental Studies named after Abu Rayhan Beruni of
the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan.
“Zafarnoma” by Sharafuddin Ali Yazdi (item number
#3440), Alisher Navoi. Navodi run-nihoya (item
number No. 1995, No. 11 675.), Husain Vaiz Kashifi.
Morality is Muhsini. (item number 2116),
Abdurahman Jami. “Kulliyat” (item number 1331),
Alisher Navoi. “Devon” (item numbers #3984;
#2197; #790; #7463; #7701; #3479).
Sharofiddin Ali Yazdi, Zafarnama. (item number
#3440). First of all, we should mention that the size
of these manuscripts is very large. There are
ornaments and pictures. They consist of titles and
patterns made in the tradition of the Hirot school,
which are very beautiful. There is a miniature
painting in the form of a large two-page architectural
drawing and a printed graphic composition of a battle
scene. An equestrian figure was completed to the far
right of his miniature but was later erased. A human
portrait, some parts of a horse have been preserved.
The manuscript was created at the end of the 15th
century, in the city of Khirot. The quality of the paper
is thick, good, and full, the quality of the repair papers
is a little low. Calligrapher Sultan Ali Mashhady. The
cover is made of cast cardboard.
Figure 1: A photo of the title page of the manuscript.
Figure 2: A photo of the manuscript’s miniature drawing
pages.
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Figure 3, 4: A photo of the pages of the manuscript after
repair.
Alisher Navoi. Navodi run-nihoya, (item number
1995). Size: 24.8x16cm, No. of sheets: 210,
Decorated with pearls and 6 miniatures, finished with
an embroidered finish. The base of the paper is
ribbed, mottled, smooth. It was created at the end of
the 15th century in the city of Khirot. Calligrapher
Sultan Ali Mashhady. The cover is later made of
leather, brown in color. The ornamentation of the
manuscript is similar to the manuscripts decorated in
Khiroth. The Prince's turban in miniatures is typical
of the Khirot school of miniatures. In terms of
subtlety, the use of purple, especially the painting of
the Me'raj landscape, is typical of Behzod era
miniatures. miniatures are delicate. In the miniatures
on pages 97, 114 of the manuscript, we can also see
the use of the same purple color in the central part or
in the clothes of the main characters.
Figure 5: Cover.
Figure 6: Leaf from the beginning of the manuscript.
Figure 7: The appearance of paper fibers when light falls
from the back.
Figure 8: Miniature drawing sheet.
Figure 9: The appearance of paper fibers when light falls
from the back.
Alisher Navoi. Navodi run-nihoya, (item number
11675)., Size 16.7x23.1 cm, number of sheets 149.
Ornate title pattern present, but slightly worn. The
base of the paper is ribbed, thick, smooth and smooth.
According to the style of the place of creation, the city
of Khirot belongs to the end of the 15th century.
Abdul Jalil is the secretary. One line of writing is 1
cm in size, and the writing area is 3 mm. The cover is
made of die-cast cardboard, with an orange pattern,
tulip patterned flowers. The surface is lacquered for
protection. Malik Muhammed Isa’s name is written
as well.
Figure 10: Cover
Insights into Timurid Period Manuscripts at Uzbekistan’s Institute of Oriental Studies
1443
Figure 11: The sheet at the beginning.
Figure 12: The middle sheet.
Figure 13: The middle sheet.
Alisher Navoi. “Devon”. (item number No.
2197). Size: 14.5x24cm, number of sheets is 70.
Decorations are available in the form of titles,
inscriptions, plaque patterns. The paper is of medium
thickness, smooth, soft, flowing color. The place of
its creation is Khirot, and it corresponds to the end of
the 15th century. The calligraphy is similar to Abdul
Jalil’s scribe letter. The cover is made of die-cast
cardboard, with an orange pattern, tulip patterned
flowers.
Figure 14: Cover.
Figure 15: The sheet when the light falls from the back.
Figure 16: Middle sheet
Figure 17: Margin lines around text.
Figure 18: Enlarged fragment of a Nashli decorated sheet.
Alisher Navoi. Devon (item no. 790). The size is
22.3x34 cm. The paper is thick, mixed seven colors,
well burnished. The place of creation is the city of
Khirot, and it is written in 898 AH. Calligrapher
Sultan Ali Mashhady. The cover is made of die-cast
cardboard, decorated with orange motifs, tulip motifs
and embossed flowers, and the surface is lacquered.
The patterned paper is thick and looks like two layers.
The text is treated separately from the written pages.
13.7x 23cm text, a different paper was used for the
surrounding patterned decorations.
Figure 19: Cover.
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Figure 20, 21: Cover patterned and colored sheets.
Figure 22, 23, 24: A photo taken from the back.
Figure 25: A sheet decorated with a pattern.
Figure 26: Sheet of text.
A group of mauscripts from the Timurid era kept in
the treasury of the Institute of Oriental Studies named
after Abu Rayhan Beruni of the Academy of Sciences
of the Republic of Uzbekistan was studied by visual
inspection, physical feeling, and photographing with
a macro camera. The results of this research are still
inconclusive and require further physical and
chemical studies of these rare artifacts. A separate
study of the interior decorations and pictures of the
manuscripts is also required. Because until today, the
papers of the manuscripts have been generally
described as thin, mushy, thick, worn, or poorly worn.
This preliminary research shows that the manuscripts
prepared for the court during their time used different
types of paper for calligraphy, for borders and for
miniature paintings.
The largest size and high quality paper is
“Zafarnoma” by Sharafuddin Ali Yazdi, the second
large size and high quality paper is “Akhloqi
Muhsini” by Husayn Vaiz Koshifi and “Kulliyot” by
Abdurrahman Jami, each of them is a separate study
in terms of paper quality, writing, and pattern. can be
a topic. We can call them masterpieces of book art of
the Timurid period. The medium-sized illustrated
manuscript “Kalila and Dimna”, the manuscripts and
miniatures of “Navodir un-nihoya” finished by Sultan
Ali Mashhadi were royal works of that time. In
general, the series of manuscripts whose paper we
have studied is distinguished by the fact that high-
quality paper was created even in the Timurid era,
decorated with very elegant and colorful patterns,
especially the works of Abdurahman Jami “Kulliyoti”
manuscript, it is distinguished by the quality of the
paper and the variety of patterns. We would
recommend printing a facsimile copy of it. One
sensitive issue is that although there are wonderful
manuscripts created during the Timurid period and
their exquisite paintings, what if the Nadir ul-asri
master of this period, Kamoliddin Behzod, has
nothing to do with them? This is a fascinating topic
that deserves further study. In particular, the
participation of master Kamoliddin Behzod and his
students in the twenty-three paintings in the “Akhloqi
Insights into Timurid Period Manuscripts at Uzbekistan’s Institute of Oriental Studies
1445
Mukhsini” manuscript is indisputable. This is
evidenced by the colors, fine lines, and image system
used in the exquisite paintings created at that time!
2 CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, it can be said that the historical and
scientific study of the Timurid era manuscripts kept
in the treasury of the Institute of Oriental Studies
named after Abu Rayhan Beruni of the Academy of
Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan has begun,
but it was found that the painting and miniature works
that decorate them have not been sufficiently studied
from a practical and artistic point of view. They are
only given a general description. Continuing the
research in this direction, in the end of the 15th
century in the court of Sultan Husain, the famous
calligraphers and skilled miniature painters such as
Kamoliddin Behzod made a more in-depth study of
the decorative manuscripts, describing them from the
artistic side, studying the technique of creating the
paper, the paper and paint that can be used for such
delicate works. and brushes are required to be
restored. We would recommend that researchers
conducting scientific research take one of these rare
manuscripts and analyze them, and if necessary,
create copies of the same size and quality rather than
general topics.
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