Both of them considered Khurasan – a rich province with its centre in Herat – as their own legitimate property and took turns in capturing it, exporting valuable objects and books from Herat, along with craftsmen and masters of the arts of the book. At last Khurasan remained under Safavids and only for ten years at the end of the 16th century came to be in the possession of the Shibanids.
The decoration of the books removed from Herat was often not fully completed, and miniatures were added to them in the cultural centres of Mawarannahr. This was done by both the artists who came from Herat and local craftsmen who had studied with them. The results of their joint efforts include 25 miniatures that decorate the Kulliyat of Navoi, which was copied at the end of the 15th or early 16th century.
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album "Arts of the book in the 15th–17th-century Mawarannahr" (Volume XVII) in the series "Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections".
The main sponsor of the project is the oilfield services company Eriell-Group.
Miniatures created during the rule of the Shaybanids...
At the very beginning of the 16 th century the Shaybanids came to power in Mawarannahr, and the Safavids in Iran.