Fig. 130 (cat. no. 6) The Birth of the Prophet Muhammad from the Jamiʿ al-Tawarikh (Compendium of Chronicles) by Rashid al-Din, Iran (Tabriz), ca. 714/A.D. 1314-1315. Fol. 44r; ink, colors, and gold on paper. Edinburgh University Library, (MS Arab 20)

6     Figs. 130, 172 Iran (Tabriz)
ca. A.H. 714/A.D. 1314-1315.
151 folios: ink, colors, and gold on paper
42 x 32 cm (16½ x 12½ in.) Edinburgh University Library, (MS Arab 20)

Source: pp. 112 & 245, The Legacy of Genghis Khan Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia 1256 1353

---

The illustrators of the Jami‛ al-Tawarikh often borrowed iconography from other traditions, such as Christian manuscripts, to create their images. For the birth of Muhammad, they adapted a Christian nativity scene. The three women on the left take the place of the three magi. The grandfather of the prophet Abd al-Muttalib on the right takes the place of Joseph. In other images, the compositions might be original, but stock figures would be used in them.
Il-Khanid: Tabriz, 1314
Edinburgh University Library, MS. Or. 20, fol. 42r
Source: Edinburgh University Library, Scotland Digital Books