“Muntakhab ul-Lughati Shahjahan”
Abdurashid al-Husayni al-Madani. Copied in 1828. India. Persian. Nastaliq script. Oriental paper. 20.5 × 34 cm. Manuscript of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan
Description
This manuscript opens not only with a text, but with the very structure of the book. The green leather binding with a gilded medallion gives it status, while inside the dense lines of nasta‘liq create a calm, confident rhythm.
Muntakhab ul-Lughati Shahjahan means “The Selected Dictionary of Shah Jahan.” The work of Abdurashid al-Husayni al-Madani belongs to the scholarly milieu of Baburid India and was dedicated to the padishah Shah Jahan. This copy was transcribed in India in 1828.
The dictionary was a working book for the educated reader. Texts like this helped clarify the meanings of Arabic and Persian words, and supported the reading of poetry, theological writings, and court documents. Red marks made it easier to find headings and key terms.
For the Babur sector, this manuscript is especially revealing. It reminds us that the Baburid empire continued to live through Persian book culture, linking Central Asia, Iran, and India not by war, but by the language of knowledge and the discipline of writing.