The Illustration of Mīrkhwānd's Tārīkh-i Rauḍat al-ṣafā, RAS Ms. P. 38 – CORRIGENDUM

The celebrated universal Islamic history, M ī rkhw ā nd ’ s T ā r ī kh-i Rau ḍ at al- ṣ af ā , written in Herat in the late Timurid period, became a model for later Persian histories, but has not yet been the subject of any substantial critical analysis as a work of historical literature, or in terms of its manuscript transmission. Although numerous copies exist of different volumes of the text, only a handful have been illustrated, providing another dimension to the reception and ‘ reading ’ of the chronicle. This paper focuses on the fourth volume of M ī rkhw ā nd ’ s history, on the Persian dynasties up to the rise of Timur, four copies of which have been illustrated, among them the Royal Asiatic Society ’ s manuscript no. P. 38. After detailing the ten pictures in the manuscript, the article concludes with a dis-cussion of their character and purpose.