Shelfmark: Or.Ms.20
Holding Institution: University of Edinburgh
Title: Jami' al-Tawarikh (World History)
Alternate Title: Compendium of Chronicles
Subset Index: f.24r detail
Creator: Rashid al-Din Ṭabib
Creator Nationality: Iranian
Creator Role: Author

Detail of miniature from the Compendium of Chronicles by Rashid al-Din. Shows the Prophet Jurjis, with a chain around his neck, being led to the King of Mosul for refusing to worship Idols. According to Islamic tradition, his faith meant that he was miraculously protected from the subsequent torture that he was subjected to.
Arguably the greatest treasure in the library, the Jami' al-Tawarikh, or Compendium of Chronicles, is a world history which encompasses a range of cultures, from China in the East, to Ireland in the West, from the time of Adam. It is written in the Naskh script and contains 70 illustrated folios. Written by the scholar and courtier Rashid al-Din (d.1318), there is some debate as to the exact date of this manuscript, but it was almost certainly completed within the author's lifetime, making it one of the earliest copies in existence. It is one of the three main sources for the life of Genghis Khan and is considered to be one of the most important medieval documents in the world.
Sources: Hukk, M (1925), A descriptive catalogue of the Arabic and Persian manuscripts in Edinburgh University Library, Hertford. Talbot Rice, D. (1976), The Illustrations to the World History of Rashid al-Din, Edinburgh.

Source: Edinburgh University Library

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Referenced as Fig. 175 in The Legacy of Genghis Khan Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia 1256 1353
Il-Khanid: Tabriz, Iran
A.H. 714/A.D. 1314-1315.
Fol. 26r
ink, colors, and gold on paper
Edinburgh University Library, (MS Arab 20)