“MIRAJNAME”

Description

One of the most valuable and rare finds in the history of book art of the Temurids era, written in Uyghur script, is the manuscript “Mirage” (“Ascension”), created in 1436 by the personal order of the fourth son of Amir Temur Shahrukh Mirzo – the father of the great astronomer Mirzo Ulugbek. Made by skillful calligraphers and miniaturists, it is currently stored in the French National Library in Paris (under Turc 190/1513 II) and is one of the rarest manuscripts in its collection and the pride of this library.

“The Mirage” is a religious and philosophical work that tells of the mystical journey of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) through the seven heavenly spheres. Its Arabic and Persian versions were widespread in the Middle Ages. However, the Turkic translation was made in the era of the Temurids. The unique manuscript preserved in the Paris collection is the earliest copy of the Turkic “Mirage”. For this reason, the manuscript is an invaluable legacy.