Laila and Majnun from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja
Calligrapher Ja'far Baisunghuri Iranian
Author Nizami
Not on view
The renowned calligrapher Ja'far was the head of the royal workshop at the Timurid capital of Herat under the patronage of Prince Baisunghur, son of the ruler Shah Rukh and grandson of Timur, the dynasty's founder. The manuscript contains a dedication to Baisunghur and is signed and dated by Ja'far. Laila wa Majnun, written in 1188, is the third of the romantic epics of the Khamsa (Quintet) by one of the greatest and most influential of all Persian poets. It is the story of the love of two children in the Arabian desert and the heart-rending results of their forced separation: Majnun wanders through the desert singing of his love and longing, as the mystic longs for the union with God.
