'Timur’s entry into Samarqand'
Zafarnama of Ibrahim Sultan, Timurid Shiraz, 1436.
(Book of Victories) of Sharaf al-din 'Ali Yazdi (1424-54)

Folio from a Zafarnama (Book of conquest) by Yazdi (d. 1450); recto: text, Samarqand receives the prince and his troops; verso: Timur’s entry into Samarqand.
Label: Some of the earliest illustrated Timurid manuscripts were dynastic and universal histories. One such work is the Zafarnama (Book of conquest) commissioned by Ibrahim Sultan (reigned 1414-34), Timur's grandson and the governor of Fars province in southern Iran. The text, which celebrates Timur's reign (1370-1405) and bolsters his dynasty's right to rule over the newly conquered territories of Iran and Central Asia, depicts the ruler hunting, feasting, and fighting-activities traditionally associated with kingship.
Former owner: Hagop Kevorkian (1872 - 1962)
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Calligrapher: Yaqub bin Hasan
Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions: Height x Width (paper): 25.9 x 13.2 cm (10 3/16 x 5 3/16 in)
Origin: Shiraz, Iran
1436
Period: Timurid period
Type: Manuscript
Accession Number: F1948.18
Source: Freer | Sackler