Unknown - Hafez-Diwan - 1675

A folio copied from the Dewan written by Mohammed Shama od-din Hafez (1329-1399), and in good condition. It is of Kashmiri origin dating back to approximately to 1675.

It is written in elegant nasta'liq in black ink, arranged in the classic 'chahar situn' (four column) format, with verses set in alternating vertical registers separated by gilded rules. It is on burnished gold paper. The illuminated cartouches with polychrome floral ornaments mark sectional headings or ghazal openings. The lower portion is a complete ghazal ending with the well known couplet about the mihrab of the beloved's eyebrow: the remainder cover the core themes of beauty, the intoxication of love and the beloved.

The Dewan, which expresses Sufi ideals in lyrics, was written by Mohammed Shama od-din Hafez (1329-1399), a Sufi Muslim who practised a mystical form of Islam. His name 'Hafez' was given to those Muslims who could recite the Holy Koran by heart.

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