The Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts in the National Library of the Czech Republic

Collection Description

  The collection of oriental manuscripts deposited in the Department of Manuscripts and Early Printed Books of the National Library contains 150 volumes of Persian manuscripts. Each of them bears the shelf-number XVIII B followed by a number from 1 to 149. During the cataloguing it was found out that under the shelf-number XVIII B 148 a Turkish commentary to the Qur'án was hidden; therefore, for that reason this volume was not included in the Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts. The shelf-numbers 114 and 124 have two volumes each. In the collection of Oriental manuscripts there are also some copies of the Qur'án with a Persian translation, which were included among Arabic manuscripts. Among the Turkish manuscripts we can also find volumes at least partially written in Persian - Persian poetry by Turkish authors or Turkish interpretations of Persian literary works.

  The Collection of Persian manuscripts has a great variety as to contents, but the volumes containing poetry are prevalent. We can find here collections of poetry (Díwáns) by many Persian authors, both the famous ones and the less-known poets whose names cannot be found in classical overviews of Persian literature. Furthermore, it contains anthologies of Persian poetry, literary biographies (Ádhar), and papers or letters (munsha'át) by famous Persian authors. Moreover we can find here volumes containing the classical works of Sufi literature, tadhkiras (stories from the lives of poets), and prose. Several volumes also represent philosophy, logic, geography, and geomansy. There are a great number of historiographic, astronomical and medical treatises and compendia. Some volumes with religious contents are not missing as well. Under the shelf number XVIII B we can also find several manuscripts at least partially written in Turkish - these are commentaries on Persian literary works (Sa'dí), Persian-Turkish dictionaries, and Persian poetry by Turkish authors. There are also three volumes containing the poetry of Hilálí, representing the Tajik literature, and volumes containing the literary work of the minister of the Mughal emperor Akbar Abu'l-Fazl b. Shaikh Mubárak 'Allámí (two volumes of letters and Akbarnáme).

  The oldest manuscript dates back to 792 A.H. (Nizámí, No. 114), the youngest one originates from the beginning of the 20th century. As for their size we can find volumes containing from several pages to more than one thousand pages. There are many bookplates on front pages or stamps of previous possessors (they belong mainly to Ottoman collectors - for example, there is a book from the Muhammad 'Alí's library). Bindings are either original, bound in leather, painted, and decorated with gold (from the Qájár period), or there are Ottoman rebindings. Most of the books were written on the territory of the present Iran, but there are volumes originating from the Ottoman Empire, Central Asia, or India.

  As for the technical and esthetical characteristics of the manuscripts, they are of great variability. The paper is of various qualities; sometimes it is coloured or it has colour spots. It is often helpful for dating the undated manuscripts and for finding out the place of their origin. Esthetical arrangement depends on the literary genre. If it is a volume containing poetry or prose, there are from 2 to 4 columns on each page, separated by vertical lines from each other and framed. However, the framing and separated columns are sometimes missing. In prosaic works (including the scientific works) the text is usually framed. In some volumes there are marginal notes added to the main text - mainly in Persian and Turkish. The first two pages are usually decorated - sometimes with few lines, sometimes with splendid and elaborated ornaments in gold. Several manuscripts (87, 88, 113, 146) contain miniatures. Their number varies from 1 to 62 miniatures (146) in one volume. As there are parts in Turkish manuscripts written in Persian, so similarly some parts of Persian manuscripts are written in Turkish and Arabic. These volumes consist mostly of several smaller volumes of various origins. All this is mentioned in the Catalogue under "Contents" and "Language of the Document".

XVIII B 1 Intikháb-e díwán-e Sá'ib
XVIII B 2 Rebábnáme
XVIII B 3 Díwán-e Nazírí + Jalál Asír + Násir 'Alí
XVIII B 4 Sharh-e Bústán-e Sa'dí
XVIII B 5 Gulistán
XVIII B 6 Sharh-e díwán-e Mortazawí('Alí)
XVIII B 7 Tuzuq-e Jahángírí
XVIII B 8 Qasá'id-e Husain-e Saná'í
XVIII B 9 Díwán-e Sá'ib
XVIII B 10 Díwán-e Kátibí (Qasá'id wa Ghazalíyát)
XVIII B 11 Sharh-e muntakhab-e 'Urfí
XVIII B 12 Ibn Muzaffar 'an an-nujúm
XVIII B 13 Díwán-e Khálid
XVIII B 14 Bahr al-ghará'ib
XVIII B 15 Díwán-e Maghribí
XVIII B 16 Díwán-e 'Urfí
XVIII B 17 Zurúb-e amthál-e 'Ajam
XVIII B 18 Díwán-e Kamál Ibráhím + Hadíqe-ye hakím-e Saná'í
XVIII B 19 Majmú'a (Masnawí, Makárim al-akhláq)
XVIII B 20 Díwán-e Jámí
XVIII B 21 Díwán-e Háfiz
XVIII B 22 Diwán-e Hilálí
XVIII B 23 Majmú'at al-munsha'át wa'l-ash'ár al-fárisíya
XVIII B 24 Fawátih-e Husain-e Maibudí, Sharh-e díwán-e 'Alí
XVIII B 25 Díwán-e 'Urfí
XVIII B 26 Díwán-e Zahír-e Fariábí + Muntakhabát
XVIII B 27 Túfán-e ma'rifat-e Nash'at
XVIII B 28 Shabistán-e khayál
XVIII B 29 Shabistán-e khayál (Sharh)
XVIII B 30 Lughat-e Ni'matullláh
XVIII B 31 Rawzat al-anwár
XVIII B 32 Baháristán wa ghayruhum
XVIII B 33 Mantiq at-tayr
XVIII B 34 Mantiq at-tayr, Rawzat al-'ushsháq, Manba' al-asrár, Mafkhar al-abrár
XVIII B 35 Pandnáme
XVIII B 36 Pandnáme
XVIII B 37 Díwán-e Háfiz
XVIII B 38 Díwán-e Salmán-e Sáwají
XVIII B 39 Lughat-e Halímí
XVIII B 40 Díwán-e Faizí
XVIII B 41 Iláhínáme (=Hadíqa)
XVIII B 42 Díwán-e Hájib
XVIII B 43 Díwán-e Wahshí
XVIII B 44 Pandnáme, Tuhfe-ye Sháhidí
XVIII B 45 Sumbulistán-e Rúmí
XVIII B 46 Majmú'at qasá'id wa ghazalíyát fársíya
XVIII B 47 Silsilat az-zahab
XVIII B 48 Sharh-e qasída khamríya
XVIII B 49 Díwán-e Jámí
XVIII B 50 Baháristán
XVIII B 51 Sharh-e Baháristán
XVIII B 52 Nizámu't-tawáríkh
XVIII B 53 Lailí wa Majnún
XVIII B 54 Díwán-e Anwarí
XVIII B 55 Bústán-e Sa'dí
XVIII B 56 Bústán-e Sa'dí
XVIII B 57 Díwán-e Háfiz
XVIII B 58 Rashahát-e 'ain al-hayát
XVIII B 59 Homá wa Homáyún
XVIII B 60 Díwán-e qasá'id-e Manúchihrí
XVIII B 61 Kullíyát-e Kháqání
XVIII B 62 Díwán-e Khálid
XVIII B 63 Mir'át-e Iskandarí (Iskandarnáme)
XVIII B 64 Akhláq al-muhsinín (Akhláq-e Muhsiní)
XVIII B 65 Marzbánnáme
XVIII B 66 Sharh-e risála al-jurjáníja
XVIII B 67 Sharh-e risále-ye Mewlaná 'Alí Qúshjí fí al-hay'a
XVIII B 68 Manázir al-inshá'('Ilm al-inshá')
XVIII B 69 Áshúb-e Hindústán
XVIII B 70 Kullíyát-e Khosraw Dihlawí
XVIII B 71 Riyáz al-khulúd
XVIII B 72 Táríkh-e Ál-e Muzaffar
XVIII B 73 Díwán-e 'Urfí (Volume 1; Volume 2 - Shelf-number XVIII B 149)
XVIII B 74 Sharh-e Kháqání
XVIII B 75 Díwán-e Bídil
XVIII B 76 Díwán-e Gílání
XVIII B 77 Díwán-e Kháqání
XVIII B 78 Inshá-ye Abu'l-Fazl
XVIII B 79 Gulistán-e Sa'dí
XVIII B 80 Tadhkirat ash-shuhadá'
XVIII B 81 Tímúrnáme
XVIII B 82 [a medical treatise]
XVIII B 83 Mísfán?
XVIII B 84 Narjisdán-e Zabíhí
XVIII B 85 Nafá'is al- Haqá'iq
XVIII B 86 Khamse-ye Nizámí
XVIII B 87 Sháh-o-darwísh
XVIII B 88 Sifát al-'áshiqín
XVIII B 89 Qasíde-ye Bahá'uddín Balkhí
XVIII B 90 Khamse-ye Nizámí
XVIII B 91 Kullíyát-e Mollá Jámí
XVIII B 92 Iskandarnáme
XVIII B 93 Báb-e khuld
XVIII B 94 Haft Paikar
XVIII B 95 Weláyetnáme
XVIII B 96 Majmú'a (Báznáme, etc.)
XVIII B 97 Khosraw-o-Shírín
XVIII B 98 Díwán-e qasá'id-e Kalím-e Káshání
XVIII B 99 Díwán-e Kháqání
XVIII B 100 Díwán-e Haidar
XVIII B 101 [Religious literature]
XVIII B 102 [medical treatise]
XVIII B 103 Risále-ye Taríqat 'umdat al-hurafá' as-sálikín wa zubdat al-udabá' al-'árifín (Risále-ye Taríqe-ye 'Ajam)
XVIII B 104 [Persian treatise]
XVIII B 105 Tuhfat al-ahrár, Subhat al-abrár, Yúsuf-o-Zalíkhá
XVIII B 106 Risále-ye 'Arúzí
XVIII B 107 al-Qawá'id ad-durríya
XVIII B 108 Tuhfat al-mulúk wa 'Ilm-e tibb
XVIII B 109 [A collection of geomantic treatises (Kitáb-e taskín-e hurúf-e Dániál, Risále-ye mukhtasar-e asrár al-mafátíh, Miftáh ar-raml atd.)]
XVIII B 110 Kifáyat at-ta'lím fí ahkám an-nujúm
XVIII B 111 Inshá' (Táríkh-e Abú'l-Fazl)
XVIII B 112 Lubb at-tawáríkh
XVIII B 113 Gulistán-e Sa'dí
XVIII B 114/1 Haft Paikar
XVIII B 114/2 Sharafnáme, Iskandarnáme
XVIII B 115 Mir'át al-'álam
XVIII B 116 Rubá'íyát-e 'Attár = Mukhtárnáme
XVIII B 117 Áteshkade
XVIII B 118 Tuhfat al-ahrár, Sibhat al-abrár
XVIII B 119 Hamle-ye Haidarí
XVIII B 120 Rauzat as-safá'
XVIII B 121 Burhán al-kifáya fí an-nujúm
XVIII B 122 Siyar al-muta'akhkhirín
XVIII B 123 Tuhfat as-saníya ilá al-Hazrat al-Hasaníya
XVIII B 124/1,2 Tawáríkh-e Tabarí
XVIII B 125 Díwán-e Mahmúd Mírzá Qájár
XVIII B 126 Zubdat at-tasáníf
XVIII B 127 Latá'if al-lughát (Farhang-e latá'if al-lughát 'umúman lughat-e Masnawí khusúsan)
XVIII B 128 Haqq al-yaqín
XVIII B 129 Tadhkirat al-awliyá'
XVIII B 130 Sharh-e Masnawí (Volume 3)
XVIII B 131 Negáristán
XVIII B 132 Zínat at-tawáríkh
XVIII B 133 Tawáríkh-e Firishte
XVIII B 134 Iksír at-tawáríkh
XVIII B 135 Akbarnáme
XVIII B 136 Siyar-e fársí
XVIII B 137 Ghuyyat al-af'ál
XVIII B 138 Díwán-e malik ash-shu'ará' Sabá
XVIII B 139 Manhaj as-sádiqín fí ilzám al-mukhálifín (Jeld-e awwal-e tafsír-e fársí)
XVIII B 140 Khamse-ye Nizámí
XVIII B 141 Díwán-e Maghribí wa Qásim-e Anwár
XVIII B 142 Kullíyát-e Nashát wa munsha'átihi
XVIII B 143 Zínat al-madá'ih
XVIII B 144 Masnawí-ye ma'nawí
XVIII B 145 Munsha'át
XVIII B 146 Khamse-ye Nizámí
XVIII B 147 Kullíyát-e Shaikh-e Sa'dí
XVIII B 149 Díwán-e 'Urfí (Vol. 2 to the shelf-number XVIII B 73)