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  • Sarluh

    Sarluh

    The decoration painted on top of pages where the content of a manuscript begins. Sometimes, in collected works, there is a sarluh at the beginning of each chapter or section.

  • Katibah

    Katibah

    A decorative rectangular box that is placed at the beginning of the text of the book, and is sometimes repeated on other pages of manuscripts.  Normally, the title of the book or titles of chapters are written in this space.  Often, as is the case here, the basmalah, i.e. the phrase, “In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate,” is written in the katibah.   

  • Tasmeh Andāzi

    Tasmeh Andāzi

    The thin decorative border that, similar to jadval, separates the text from the margins is called tasmeh.  Tasmeh Andāzi is the act of creating this border, which generally repeats the same decorative pattern.

  • Jadval

    Jadval

    Jadval or “border” refers to the thin lines that surround the four sides of the text and separate it from the margins.  These lines come in different colors and are drawn by metal instruments known as qalam-e jadval (pens used for drawing borders).  Today, a European version of these pens, known as Terling, is used.  The thickness of the lines could be adjusted by turning a screw on the handle of the qalam-e jadval.

  • Khattā’i

    Khattā’i

  • Shāh ‘Abbāsi

    Shāh ‘Abbāsi

  • Gold lettering

    Gold lettering

  • Sar-Toranj

    Sar-Toranj

    Decorations similar to toranj, but much smaller, which appear at the two ends of the principle toranj.

  • Nim-toranj

    Nim-toranj

    Nim-toranj literally means half of a toranj, and a toranj is a circular or oval decorative motif used in manuscripts.

  • Genitive Hamzah

    Genitive Hamzah

    Nouns that end in a silent ha’ (ه), when in a noun construct, are marked as genitive with a hamzah (ء), which is pronounced as ye.  Until recently, the genitive hamzah was generally not written, which makes its appearance here noteworthy.

  • Vowel Markings

    Vowel Markings

    Although short vowels are rarely written in non-qur’anic calligraphy, they are sometimes written in Nasta‘liq calligraphy for decorative purposes or to fill in empty spaces in single-page works of calligraphy.

  • Sin in Nasta‘liq

    Sin in Nasta‘liq

    In the Nasta‘liq script, in order to avoid confusion between the letters sin (س) and shin (ش), three dots are written under sin (س).  Furthermore, when the sin (س) is written without the teeth, the writing of three dots under the sin (س) helps with legibility.  By way of example, it helps us distinguish between the word جم, which means “multitude,” and جسم, which means “body.”

  • Sharing or Omitting Dots

    Sharing or Omitting Dots

    The curves or the extended forms of letters in the Nasta‘liq script, when combined with the limited space given to texts in illuminated manuscripts, do not leave enough room for writing all the dots of letters.  Consequently, calligraphers sometimes omit dots or use one dot for two letters.  Here, the white arrow indicates shared dots while the red arrows indicate letters written without dots. 

  • Kamand

    Kamand

    Delicate, decorative lines drawn between the margin and the edges of a manuscript page. It is drawn around the three edges of the text and not at the edge where the page is folded for book binding.

  • Eslimi

    Eslimi

    Decorative vine motif
  • Dandān Mushi

    Dandān Mushi

    Literally, "mousy (or mouse-like) teeth." It refers to the cloud-like demarcations used around words in illuminated manuscripts.
Divan-e Nāsir-al-Din Shāh, 1855 CE.  Library of the Islamic Parliament of Iran, No. 5098.

Text and Margins

The relationship between the text and margin is noteworthy when the paper used for the text and the paper used for the margin are different.

Margins are generally distinguished from the text with thin lines, called borders or jadval.  Depending on the fineness of the manuscript or book, it could have multiple margins of varying colors.  In fine manuscripts and albums, the paper for the text and the margin are usually of a differing type and color.  Sometimes, the text of a book would be written on two pieces of thin paper that were glued together so that there would not be a shadow from the text on the other side of the page.  For this reason, the paper used for the margin of the page would often be twice as thick as the paper used for the text.  When a single page was used to write on both sides, attention would be paid to choosing a paper with similar thickness with the text in order to avoid wrinkles.  

This is usually done when the margin is damaged.  A type of paper would be selected for the margin similar in color and thickness to the paper used for the text.  This way, the book would close flat, and there would not be wrinkles that would allow air to sieve through the pages.

This method of attaching a new margin would have been done with utmost care so that the paper of the text and of the margin were edge to edge and did not overlap.  Usually, the touching edges of the papers were then hidden from view with colored borders.  Because of the considerable degree of expertise and effort required to create these kinds of pages, this technique is found only in the finest of manuscripts or albums.

Symmetry

Symmetry is a common aspect of Islamicate arts, but at times slight varieties are embedded in seemingly symmetrical pieces, either for the sake of variety itself or because differing sizes of letters and words, which are out of the control of the artist, would disrupt the symmetry of the page.  As such, despite their symmetrical appearance, there is rarely perfect symmetry in these works.

Tazhib

The art of illuminating manuscripts or the borders of calligraphic works is called tazhib.  It is derived from the Arabic word for gold, dhahab, and it usually requires using gold.  Tazhib, however, is not exclusively in gold.  Other colors such as white, red, azure, etc. are also used.  Tazhib drawings, which have a long history, are not naturalistic drawings; rather they are based on the imagination of the artist and are thus regarded as a distinct form of drawing.

Tazhib can be understood as a specific kind of gilding, but there are two ways in which gold was employed in the traditional art of bookmaking in Iran.  In one, gold papers, which were extremely thin and brittle were used to cover all or part of the surface of a page. In the other, gold was used in liquid solutions for drawing or for writing, as in the case of tazhib.  The following is the traditional method used for making gold solutions.  A small piece of gold was placed between two pieces of leather, and hammered for a long time until a very thin layer of gold was produced.  Then, the thin layer of gold was ground in a container with gum arabic or another type of adhesive material that produced a gold solution, which was then used as ink for writing, drawing, or creating borders.