A 15th century love poem from Persia [O Nova 2]

Jalāl was a prince born in the fairytale town "Fard". He was the son of King Tahmas. In a far off province, beyond the "Qaf" mountains, lived Princess Jamāl, the daughter of King Mihraray...

Fol. 46b

One night, when Jalāl was sleeping outside in his garden, Jamāl came flying like an angel. She saw Jalāl and painted his portrait on a canvas and laid it on Jalāl's bed before disappearing. When Jalāl woke up in the morning, he saw the canvas with the picture that Jamāl had painted. He fell in love with her instantly. In order to trace her down, he assembled his army and began a long, exhausting journey.

Fol. 50a

After four years of adventure, dangers and battles in fields and mountains, he finally reached Jamāl and they could get married.

Fol. 92b

The fairytale about Jalāl and Jamāl is love poem in Persian inspired by Sufi poetry and written in Herat in the year A.H. 818  (1415-16) by Amin ul-din Muhammad Nazlabadi Bayhaqi Sabzavari, also known as Amin. Roughly ninety years later, at the beginning of the 16th century, this copy was made by the famous calligrapher Sultan Ali Qa'inis. The manuscript is embellished with 34 expensive, colourful and highly detailed miniatures each of which is a unique work of art. It was donated to the Library in 1839 by Count Carl Gustaf Löwenhjelm, who served at one time as a diplomat in Constantinople.

The manuscript is on sale as a CD-ROM in the foyer of Carolina Rediviva. If you can't visit us, you can order one by ringing tel: +46 (0)18-471 39 00 or sending an e-mail to reception@ub.uu.se. 

Jalāl u Jamāl is on the list of items needing preservation.
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