Hilyah, Combined with magic Squares

Location: Iran

Materials: ink, gold and opaque watercolour on thin paper

Dimensions: 61.5 x 50.3cm

Accession Number: CAL 302

Other Notes:

The text of the hilyah, which occupies the lower half of the central rectangle, lists 15 characteristics (shama’il) of the Prophet, each with a Persian translation. The terms used differ from those of the traditional text attributed to ‘Ali, being taken instead from al-Qalqashandi’s Subh al-A‘sha.

Qur’anic verses, short surahs and the Names of God are arranged in magic squares and roundels, occasionally with numeric values. The ‘Throne Verse’ from the surah al-Baqarah (II, verse 255) and the ‘Light Verse’ from the surah al-Nur (XXIV, verse 35) are arranged in cartouches in the borders.

Script:

written in riqa‘, naskh and nasta‘liq scripts

Bibliography:

N.F. Safwat, The Art of the Pen. Calligraphy of the 14th to 20th Centuries, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, volume V, London 1996, cat.39, pp.67–8.