We are talking about one of the miniatures by an unknown author from the popular medieval work “Majlis al-Ushshak” (Gathering of Lovers). It portrays a mentor and a student. As G. Lasikova suggested, based on the details of the image, the miniature belongs to the Bukhara school of the 17th century.
This attribution is indirectly confirmed by some details of the design, in particular the black aigrettes that adorn the turbans of the characters, which is often found on other examples of Bukhara miniatures. But the main conclusion of the specialist is that the miniature depicts not just a teacher and a student, but the famous Sheikh Arif Azadi and the young Mirzo Ulugbek. The miniature is not signed, but on the back of the miniature there is a text about Ulugbek. The royalty of the person is also proved by the thin, graceful features of the young man’s face and his spiritual gaze, which was usually found in images of high-ranking characters.
The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan also includes other monuments from the Marjani Foundation’s collection. The earliest of them is a line from the colossal Koran of the early 15th century, which, before the sack of Samarkand by the troops of Nadir Shah in the 18th century, rested on a huge stone stand, now standing in the courtyard of the Bibi Khanum mosque.
Along with the unique miniature, a collection of absolutely amazing textiles, ceramics, and paintings from the early 20th century was also presented.
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