Harun al-Rashid, "In The Palace of the 'Abbasid Caliph"

Harun al-Rashid, "In The Palace of the 'Abbasid Caliph"

Miniature painting taken from a Nigaristan manuscript (East Azerbaijan, province of Iran). The miniature features the grandeur of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid's palace. In the painting, his vizer is seated at the top of the room, receiving guests on behalf of the Caliph who is not pictured. In Thousand and One Nights, the Caliph is depicted as "The Well-Guided" whose rise to power and wise actions paint him as a strong, well-suited ruler for Baghdad. The Caliph is perhaps more well-known for his support of the arts, literature and science which led to his creation of the "House of Wisdom", the Grand Library of Baghdad. He is also known for his grand gift to Charlemagne, the King of the Franks, to whom he sent an elephant to Europe as a gift for the European ruler.

Author: Ahmad Muhammad Ghaffari of Kashan.
Scribe: Ahmad al-Shirazi

Kitab-i Nigaristan, (Kashan, Iran, likely made in a Shiraz workshop)

Aga Khan Museum

1573-74

Aga Khan Museum

Creative Commons

miniature painting, folio from a manuscript

Persian, written in the Nastaliq script.