Tadkhirat al-Shu'ara

earliest recorded copy of an authorial Timurid manuscript

Dawlatshah Samarqandi (circa 1438-1507) was a Timurid poet and biographer who was active in Timurid Empire and the present title, the Tadkhirat al-Shu'ara, is his best known work. The text is a biographical dictionary containing the profiles of 152 notable poets, often with quotes from their poetry, and provides a significant record of the cultural and political history of Persia and Transoxiana under Timurid rule.

The colophon at the end of the manuscript states that the 'ta'lif wa tahrir' (composition and writing) were executed in the hand of the author himself on the 12 Sha'ban 878 AH (2 January 1474 AD). E.G. Browne states in A History of Persian Literature under Tartar Dominion 1265-1502 that Dawlatshah's 'memoir' was compiled in 892 AH (1487 AD), however the present manuscript precedes that example by 14 years, therefore making it the earliest recorded manuscript of the text and likely the 'original' authorial edition from which all subsequent copies were produced.

The text is begins with a lengthy preface including a biographical notice about the author, followed a fihrist, a preamble on ten poets who composed in Arabic, and then seven tabaqa' (sections) on poets who composed in Persian.

Single volume, illuminated manuscript on paper, in Farsi, 298 leaves, first leaf in manuscript facsimile, textually complete, plus 5 later flyleaves, 240 x 160 mm; most in single column with some sections in two columns, 15 lines elegant nasta'liq, important headings and sections in red, text-blocks ruled in green and gold, catch-words, many leaves remargined (this rarely affexting text-block), some age-toning, some worming, some leaves repaired with gauze, overall attractive condition; housed in early twentieth-century half calf over boards, decorated western endpapapers (also early twentieth-century), extremities rubbed, spine ends a little worn, photocopy of early typescript description loosely inserted.