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Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy

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'Id (feast day ) Prayer

AUTHOR/CREATOR
Calligrapher: crossed out

CREATED/PUBLISHED
18th century (?)

NOTES
Dimensions of Written Surface: 9.2 (w) x 16.9 (h) cm

Script: nasta'liq

This calligraphic fragment includes a poetical prayer wishing its owner happiness and prosperity on the occasion of the festival ('id) of New Year (Noruz). Beginning with a (now barely legible) invocation to God as the Glorious (huwa al-'aziz), the verses then read:

Ay rukhat 'id u abruyat mah-i 'id / Mah u salat khujasta bad u sa'id / Dida rushan mabad bi-ruyat / Qibla-yi khalq taq-i abruyat

Oh, your face is 'id and your eyebrow is the moon of 'id / May your month and year be auspicious and happy / May my eye not be bright without seeing you / The arch of your eyebrow is the prayer direction of (all) people

The text is written in black nasta'liq script on a beige paper and is framed by cloud bands on a gold background. The text panel is provided with blue and green frames and is pasted to a larger sheet of pink paper backed by cardboard. It seems like a calligrapher's signature may have been placed in the lower right corner of the text panel. However, it now is illegible due to water damage.

Judging from the fragment's theme (e.g. see 1-04-713.19.3, 1-04-713.19.49, 1-04-713.19.48, 1-84-154.51, and 1-85-154.99), it is possible to suggest that the piece was executed in India sometime during the 18th or 19th century as a New Year's gift to an eminent patron.

SUBJECT
Islamic calligraphy
Arabic script calligraphy
Islamic manuscripts
Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
Arabic calligraphy
Nasta'liq

MEDIUM
22 (w) x 35 (h) cm

CALL NUMBER
1-04-713.19.4

REPOSITORY
Library of Congress, African and Middle Eastern Division, Washington, D.C. 20540

DIGITAL ID
ascs 033
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.amed/ascs.033

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