صفوة الصفا

Quintessence of Purity (Ṣafvat al-ṣafā’), by Ibn Bazzāz Ardabīlī (d. 1371)

1557

380

Upper cover - Bottom edge

1557 (964H)

Approved Material 2018/Organic/Plant (material)/Plant fibre/Paper (material); Approved Material 2018/Materials/Coating material/Ink (material)

Paper (material); Ink (material)

1557

Unknown

Unknown

Chester Beatty Library

Nasta'liq script

6135

Approved Place 2018/Middle East/Iran/Ardabil

Quintessence of Purity (Ṣafvat al-ṣafā’), by Ibn Bazzāz Ardabīlī (d. 1371). The Safavid shahs were direct descendants of the saintly Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn (died 1334), whose holy tomb at Ardabil for centuries attracted pilgrims, Sufi followers, and shrine patronage. This manuscript is Shaykh Ṣafī's biography, and describes his pious life, sayings and miracles, as well as his family history. Under Shah Ṭahmāsp (r. 1524-1576), a re-worked official version underlined the Ardabil saint’s ancestry, linking his family tree directly back to the Seventh Imam, Mūsā al-Kāẓim (died 799). By extension, this information also transformed the sacred identity of the Safavid shahs themselves, confirming their holy status as sayyids, descended from the Prophet Muḥammad. Codex, ink on paper, 380 folios, Persian text in black nasta`liq script, with red rubrics, Quintessence of Purity (Ṣafvat al-ṣafā’), composed c. 1358 by Tavakkulī ibn Ismā`īl ibn Bazzāz Ardabīlī (d. 1371), biography of Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn Isḥāq al-Mūsavī Ardabīlī (1252-1334), Sufi saint and ancestor of the Safavid dynasty, unsigned, Ardabil, Iran, dated Jumada II 964H, April 1557.

Manuscript

Quintessence of Purity (Ṣafvat al-ṣafā’), by Ibn Bazzāz Ardabīlī (d. 1371)

Per 344

230 mm x 169 mm x 50 mm (height x width x depth)

1557

Approved Category 2017/Manuscript/Codex

GOOD

Codex

Unknown

mailto:photographicservices@cbl.ie

Chester Beatty Library

Unknown

Persian (language)

Goobi viewer

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