This acquisition occurred just one year after the Universal Exhibition of 1867 in Paris where, for the first time, artefacts from the Middle East were displayed and where the public discovered “Persian Art”, unknown until that time. The manuscript was acquired because of its artistic high value. The history of this copy of Makhzan al-asrar is quite extraordinary. The text was copied in Bukhara by the famous calligrapher Mir ‘Ali Husayni al-Katib at the end of 944 (May 1538) and the colophon indicates that it was under the direction of Sultan Mirak Kitabdar. This Sultan Mirak was the chief of the library and atelier of the Shaybani khan of Bukhara, in charge of the realisation of new books. Amongst the paintings of the manuscript, two are painted in Bukhara and signed by Mahmud Muzahhib Haravi, the well known painter of the court of ‘Ubaydullah Khan in Bukhara. The second painting is dated 952/1545 – 1546, at the time of the sultan ‘Abd al-‘Aziz.
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album "Illustrated manuscripts from Mawarannahr in the collections of France" (Volume XXIX) in the series "The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan".
The main sponsor of the project is the oilfield services company Eriell-Group.
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