"The History of Abulkhair Khan"
The work of Masud ibn Osman Kohistani. Completed in 1540. Samarkand. Persian. Nastaliq script. 31 × 20 sm. Manuscript of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan Inv. No. 9989
Description
Before you is one of the most important historical manuscripts of the Shaybanid era – the History of Abulkhair Khan, completed in Samarkand in 1540. The work recounts the rise of Abulkhair Khan, the ruler who united major nomadic Uzbek tribes of the Dasht-i Kipchak.
The miniature on the right page immediately draws attention. Horsemen clash amid banners, spears, and dense movement across the battlefield. Scholars associate this scene with Abulkhair Khan’s victory over Mustafa Khan in 1431 – a turning point that strengthened the authority of the future Shaybanid dynasty.
The text itself seems to flow around the painting. To achieve such a composition, the calligrapher had to calculate the placement of every line in advance so that script and image formed a unified visual space.
Within the section devoted to the Uzbek Khanates, this manuscript is especially significant. It reflects the moment when the history of the steppe was transformed into a court chronicle of an Islamic state – written in Persian, produced in a Samarkand manuscript workshop, and enriched with refined miniature painting and calligraphy.