A TURKISH TRANSLATION OF THE THAWAQIB AL-MANAQIB (A HAGIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT OF RUMI'S LIFE AND WORKS)
Ottoman Turkey, dated at the end of Rabi’ ul-Akhar 1255 AH (July 1839), signed Siraj Zadeh Qibrisi (Cypriot)

Chagatai Turkish on paper, 197ff., and blue endpapers, each folio with 19ll. of black ink free-flowing nasta’liq script, the opening folio with naïve illuminated sar lawh, quoted names and other marks in red, catchwords, the opening bifolio set within red, gold, and black rules, the rest in red rules, the colophon signed by the scribe Haj Mustafa bin Uthman, known as Siraj Zadeh Qibrisi, and dated at the end of Rabi’ ul-Akhar (the Ottoman Turkish variant of Rabi' al-Thani) 1255 AH, in gold-tooled dark brown calf binding, the text panel 15.4cm x 8.2cm, the folio 20.5cm x 13.7cm.

Jalal al-Din Rumi (Mawlānā) is perhaps the most widely quoted mystical poet of the Persianate world. His death led to the creation of several hagiographical accounts. The best known and detailed text in Persian was written by Shams al-Din Ahmad Aflaki Arifi (d. 761 AH /1360), with the title Manaqib al-Arifin. Two centuries later, translations and variations with commentaries of the text in Turkish started appearing, like the Thawaqib al-manaqib.

Dimensions: the text panel 15.4cm x 8.2cm, the folio 20.5cm x 13.7cm