In the XV century in Herat, as well as architecture developed book art, or copying handwritten works and related with that other skills as letter writing, illustration, design drawing and bookbinding arts were highly-developed too. Becoming a certain sphere, the delicate book would be considered as a scarce and precious works of this art. This period created a certain pace in the development of the delicate book and letter writing. In those periods when no printshops came into being creating a book and copying it by hand required loads of work and experience. Particularly, making a delicate book was extremely sophisticated procedure that demanded energy and workforce of an array of professionals such as paper cutter, letter writer, illustrator, design drawer and bookbinder. Every single book from their paper to binding, from ink to paints would be made based on particular methods, plans and rules, sometimes even gulob or anbar… were added to the sheets in order that they should give out superb odour. Letter writing used to be a special profession and be considered as an exclusive art. In order to be a great and renowned letter writer one should experience a lot of work, patience, exercising with enthusiasm and facing difficulties. It was a must that the letter writer should be highly-literate, good at art and creative. Each letter writer had their own method, they would be passed from masters to novices, traditions would continue and proceed on improving.
The delicate book which has been created with lots of effort of many specialists would be in very small numbers and very expensive. Such books were mostly ordered by kings, priests, emirs and superior state persons, and they were even kept as very precious treasure in special bookstores. The books jumped to a higher level of progress in XIV-XV centuries. A famous letter writer Mirali Tabrizi (1330–1404) created a new way of letter writing named as “Nasta’lik”. This method….
The method “Nasta’lik” was especially widespread within the activities of Sultonali Mashkhadiy letter writers of Herat and reached its peak. Gained glory the method “Khatti Khirotiy” remains as the leading one for several ages in eastern lands [2].
The delicate book and letter writing arts specimen grow great in XIV-XVI centuries and namely, they are Mir Ali Tabriziy, Abdurakhman Khorazmi, Sulton Ali Mashkhadi, Mir Ali Qilqalam, Sulton Ali Khandon, Khalvoi, Rafiqi, Miraq Naqqosh, Bekhzod, Shakh Muzaffar and so on [3]. Sultonali Mashkhadi (1432–1520) was a teacher of Herat letter writers and was a great contributor to the growth of book art. He copies the works of such authors as Nizomi, Attor, Khofiz, Sa’diy, Khusrav Dekhlaviy, Jomiy, Navoi, Khusayniy (Khusain Boyqaro) and others. More than 50 copies done by Sultonali have survived to our times. He was also good at carving art and he engraved writings on Khusain Boyqaro’s palace and other building walls in the “Bog’i Jahonoro” garden, and including the engraved writing on Khusain Boyqaro’s tomb was carried out by Sultonali. He also wrote special brochures on kinds of letter writing. Among Herat letter writers Sultonali gained high respect in book art due to his efforts, created by him delicate books and trained novices. Sultonali gets promotion to the position of calligrapghy Sultan and spreads in the nation “Qiblatul-kutob” (The Qibla of books) and “Sultonun-khattotin” (Sultan of letter writers).
In that period under Timurid sovereignty buildings, especially in Samarkand and Herat palace libraries were established. Such libraries were distinctive workshops of handicraft in the Medieval ages and they, as well as collecting and keeping, were engaged in copying them and led a succession of practical works with binding together with decorating them in colourful views and illustrations. The heads of such palace libraries were called “dorug’a”s or “bookmen” and a great number of tremendous letter writers, crafty engraver-decorators and architects, skillful “LAVVOH” and “SAXXOB” carried out various orders on book creating. For instance, in early XV century in Herat in the library of Ulugbek’s younger brother Boysunqur 40 letter writers and a range of engravers worked with duplicating and embellishing manuscripts. The poem “Shaknama” of Abulqosim Firdavsi was copied by the head of this library Ja’far Boysunquriy in the years 1424–1429, and it was beautified with 20 colourful different miniatures.
In the second half of XV century book art again gains strength in growth. Khusain Boyqaro and Alisher Navoi contribute to the palace library to a large extent by supporting with rare books. A brother of Navoi, Darveshali becomes the bookman of the library. He summons a lot of elevated letter writers and engravers of Herat there. Of the prominent letter writers of Herat Sultonali Mashkhadiy and Rafiqiy (Mirali the secretary) duplicated a lot of books under orders of Sultan Khusain and Alisher Navoi. As Bobur wrote, only Sultonali would write 30 bayts for Khusain Boyqaro and would copy 20 bayts for Navoi. Rafiqiy was very glorious in the Medieval ages.
In the XIV-XV centuries it turns out that names of places in the Central Asia are extremely a lot and different in meanings. Some of the names of the places recall historical events, namely military movements. While a group of names were fixed and remained from the tax notebooks of those times’ kings. For example, in the “Geography” of Khofizi Abro’ the regions, districts and towns (“buluq”s) of Khurasan land are given very vividly or brightly detailed as a list and these pieces of information are mentioned to have been taken from the notes of the “de’von” [1]
References:
- Bo’riyev O. The Central Asia Timurids’ period manuscripts — T.: “O’zbekiston” 1997.
- Mukhammadjanov A. Timur and Timurid sultanate — T.: “Komuslar bosh tahririyati” 1997.
- Shamsutdinov R., Karimov SH. “Vatan tarixi”. K.I. — T.: “Sharq”, 2010.
- Fayziyev T. Timurids’ family tree or dynasty — Tashkent, 1995.
