English: A fine prayer book, beginning with du'a' al-'alawi (The 'Alawi Prayer), and ending with dua' sayfi (The Sayfi Prayer), commissioned by, or in the library of Ihtisham al-Dawlah, governor and military commander

Qajar Persia, circa AH 1253/AD 1837-38

Arabic and Persian manuscript on cream and sky blue paper, 98 leaves, 7 lines to the page written in fine, bold naskhi script in black ink within cloudbands, interlinear undulating gold floral motifs, inner margins ruled in gold, red and blue, occasional headings written in naskhi script in red on a gold ground within illuminated panels, double-page illuminated frontispiece with outer margins profusely decorated with scrolling floral motifs in colours and gold, one further similar double page of illumination, fine contemporary lacquer binding with Arabic text in thuluth script within central medallions and border cartouches, written by Muhammad Husain al-Sharif, dated AH 1253/AD 1837-38, doublures of red leather gilt, buff leather slipcase with embossed ownership impressions 220 x 143 mm.

The texts on the lacquer binding, in thuluth script, are quotations from the Prophet and the Imams on the protective value of prayers, written by Muhammad Husain al-Sharif (unidentified) and dated AH 1253/AD 1837-38. The binding must be contemporary, and almost certainly made for, this manuscript, since it fits perfectly, and this can therefore imply the date of the manuscript.

The manuscript was in the possession of Ihtisham al-Dawlah and may have been produced for him. There is a note on the opening page written by him stating that the manuscript contains prayers and that it entered his library in AH 1271/AD 1854. He signs with his name Khanlar Khan, but adds his oval seal impression with his title Ihtisham al-Dawlah. The same seal impression is at the end of the text. His embossed seal, reading Ihitisham al-Dawlah within a cartouche is on the slipcase.

Khanlar Mirza was the 17th son of 'Abbas Mirza Na'ib al-Saltanah. He held numerous posts during his life, including Governor of Yazd, Kirman, Hamadan, Mazandaran, Borujerd, Luristan and Khuzistan and Gulpaygan. He was titled Ihtisham al-Dawlah in AH 1268/AD 1851-52. He was in charge of the army in Khuzistan when the British took over Muhammarah port in AH 1273/AD 1857, which he lost to them. After that he held the governorship of Isfahan and died in AH 1278/AD 1861-62). (See M. Bamdad, Dictionary of National Biography of Iran 1700-1900, vol. 1, Tehran 1966, pp. 473-476).