Folio from the manuscript “Jami al-Tawarikh”

This miniature comes from the Jamiʿ al-Tawarikh, one of the most important historical works of the Islamic world. It illustrates a battle between Mahmud of Ghazni and Abu ʿAli Simjuri, a moment shaped by political rivalry and military conflict.
The scene unfolds as a visual narrative. Armored horsemen advance toward one another. Spears cross. Gestures are tense and deliberate. The image does not simply accompany the text, it brings the event to life, allowing the viewer to see history as it was imagined in the fourteenth century.
The manuscript was produced in the Ilkhanid period, likely in Tabriz, where illustrated historical writing reached a high level of refinement. Text and image were conceived together, forming a unified historical record.
Presented in the exhibition complex “Ghaznavids – Karakhanids,” this folio reflects the broader intellectual project of Rashid al-Din, who sought to compile a universal chronicle drawing on written sources and established traditions.
Signs of aging and slight discoloration remind us that the manuscript has survived many centuries. Through works like this, history was preserved not only in words, but also in images.