Click on the image to zoom
The miniature painting "The ʿAbbasid bride of the Caliph Muqtadi" is from an intact manuscript of Kitab-i Nigaristan, a collection of anecdotes and historical incidents written in prose by the historian and scholar Ahmad Muhammad Ghaffari (1504–1567/68) of Kashan in 1551–2. This illustrated manuscript, dated 1573, was probably produced in a Shiraz workshop.
See AKM272 for more information about the manuscript and links to the other illustrations.
Further Reading
Here, a parade of horses, riders, and camels is depicted moving from the right to the left of the image. In the centre of the procession, a camel carries a carriage in which a woman is seated, as if on a throne.
This illustration tells of the upcoming marriage of the ʿAbbasid Caliph Muqtadi in 1087. His bride, a noble Seljuk woman—with many camels as a dowry—is being escorted from Isfahan to Baghdad. The fact that the Seljuk minister Nizam al-Mulk is shown accompanying the train emphasizes the political importance of this connection. The marriage is described in the Nigaristan as a union of two noble houses, the Prophet's House and the Seljuks, and is an important incident in the history of the ʿAbbasid dynasty.
Note: This online resource is reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis. We are committed to improving this information and will revise and update knowledge about this object as it becomes available.