Design analysis of the miniatures of the Jamāl u Jalāl mathnawi (Upp. O Nov. 2)

The Jamāl u Jalāl Mathnawi is a love story woven with Sufi symbols written by Muhammed Emin Nezlabadi in Herat in the 15th century. The copy of the manuscript examined in this study is registered in the Uppsala University Library with the inventory number O Nov. 2 and was written by Sultan Ali Kayini in Herat at the beginning of the 16th century and its miniatures were completed in a different center under Safavid rule. The manuscript, which is the only miniatured copy of the Jamāl u Jalāl Mathnawi, contains 34 miniatures. The study examines the different stylistic features seen in the miniatures and compares them with the styles of different works produced in the cultural centers of the period. Information is provided about the Mathnawi text and the connections between the text and the miniatures are evaluated. The plot, figure arrangements and color features in the compositions of the depictions are discussed in terms of design principles, and it is aimed to have an idea about the paths followed by the miniaturists in the design processes of the miniatures.