Moʿin Moṣavver | Manuscripts | Ḵamsa of Neẓāmi

Manuscript K2, no. 4-69

Eskandar Observes Ḵeżr About to Drop a Dried Fish in the Water of Life

Ḵamsa, Poem 4, Eskandarnāma (Šarafnāma), Canto 69
Location: current whereabouts unknown.
Page: 33.9 x 20.7 cm (after Sotheby's)
Text area: 25 x 14 cm (scaled)
Text: four column; 13 lines on a 25 line per full page matrix.
Signature: Not signed

The Šarafnāma, that is the first part of the Eskandarnāma, concludes with the account of Eskandar search for the waters of immortal life. With the Sage Ḵeżr as his guide, Eskandar and his party entered into the Land of Darkness, and after travelling at some length by torchlight in the darkness, finally came across a small stream. They had with them some food for their journey, which included bread and dried salted fish. Ḵeżr dropped or let fall into the water one of these dried fishes, and when they retrived it, the fish was alive.

Moʿin also painted three Shahnama illustrations from this episode -- MSS B 6-158, MSS D folio 80, and MSS G folio 299

Painting references:
Sotheby's (London) Sale, 3 May 2001, Lot 47, Iskandarnama no. 7
Sotheby's (London) Sale, 10 October 2006, Lot 34, Iskandarnama no. 7 (ill.)

Text references:
Persian.Packham.org: (Eskandar-nama, p.785ff, Canto LXIX, lines 40-44)

Photo: © Sothebys

Robert Eng
Last Updated: November 30, 2016 | Originally published: November 30, 2016