AN OTTOMAN DALA'IL AL-KHAYRAT
Ottoman Turkey or Provinces, dated 1255 AH (1839)

Arabic manuscript on paper, 52ff., each folio with 11ll. of fine black and red ink naskh script, the opening folio with standard gold and polychrome illumination, a number of other illuminations throughout, in the middle of the manuscript a double page with polychrome-painted and gilt aerial views of Mecca and Medina, the holy sites of Islam, preceded by an illustration of the renowned scissor-like double bladed sword belonging to Ali, Zulfiqar, and followed by auspicious prayers and blessings with the names of the Rashidun (Right Guided Caliphs) in gilt roundels against pastel-coloured grounds, gold roundels as verse markers, some diacritic marks in red, mostly in black, catchwords, corrections in red, the text within burnished gold rules, set in a tooled and gilt-stamped dark red morocco flapped binding with new brown morocco spine, the text panel 10.6cm x 5.8cm, the folio 16.3cm x 10.5cm.