Islamic Manuscripts of Late Medieval Rum, 1270s-1370s: Production, Patronage and the Arts of the Book

Description

The first in-depth survey of illuminated manuscripts from Anatolia before the rise of the Ottoman EmpireWinner of the 2021 Dionisius A. Agius Prize for a distinguished first book in the field of Medieval Mediterranean Studies from the Society of the Medieval MediterraneanMeticulously analyses 15 Persian and Arabic manuscripts including the Mas̲navī of Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī (1278), the Qaramanid Qur’an (1314-15) and the Dīvān-i Kabīr of Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī (1368)Translates new and unpublished primary sources on the cultural history of the period, including manuscript colophons, dedications and endowment notesIncludes a comprehensive catalogue of key manuscriptsFully illustrated in colour with many unpublished or hard-to-find imagesBetween the Mongol invasions in the mid-13th century and the rise of the Ottomans in the late 14th century, the Lands of Rūm were marked by instability and conflict. Despite this, a rich body of illuminated manuscripts from the period survives, explored here in this extensively illustrated volume. Meticulously analysing 15 beautifully decorated Arabic and Persian manuscripts, including Qur’ans, mirrors-for-princes, historical chronicles and Sufi works, Cailah Jackson traces the development of calligraphy and illumination in late medieval Anatolia. She shows that the central Anatolian city of Konya, in particular, was a dynamic centre of artistic activity and that local Turcoman princes, Seljuk bureaucrats and Mevlevi dervishes all played important roles in manuscript production and patronage.