Negareh Journal

Negareh Journal

Stylistic Analysis of the Waqf Quran of Imam Quli Khan at the Mausoleum of Allahverdi Khan

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
Mohammad Sadegh Mirzaabolghasemi
Associate Professor, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Shiraz University. Shiraz, Iran.
10.22070/negareh.2025.19777.3449
Abstract
Introduction: In the Astan Quds Razavi Library, there is a Quran manuscript that was endowed to the Mausoleum of Allahverdi Khan in Rabi' al-Thani 1023 AH. Allahverdi Khan, the governor of Fars during the reign of Shah Abbas I, died in 1022 AH and was buried in a portico he had built on the eastern side of the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad. The donor of this manuscript was his eldest son, Imam Quli Khan; therefore, the manuscript is referred to in this study as the “Waqf Quran of Imam Quli Khan.” The manuscript lacks both a colophon and a transcription date, while the waqf inscription appears to have been added later on the opening folio.
In addition to its historical importance, the manuscript is notable for its codicological and artistic features and is regarded as one of the significant Quran manuscripts preserved in the Astan Quds Razavi Library. Despite its significance, the manuscript has not yet been the subject of an independent scholarly study. Only a single note placed among the folios records some of its characteristics. This handwritten leaf was probably a draft prepared by the library’s cataloguer. This article first discusses the mausoleum and portico of Allahverdi Khan in Astan Quds Razavi complex and then examines the historical background of the manuscript on the basis of marginal notes and related documentary evidence. Finally, the codicological and physical features of the manuscript are analyzed. The manuscript is preserved under catalogue number 2139 in the Astan Quds Razavi Library.
Purposes & Questions: Based on a close and detailed examination of the manuscript, this study aims to identify the stylistic characteristics of the Quran and to determine its historical and geographical context of its production.
Methods: The research method of this study is primarily historical; however, discussions related to the stylistic features of the Qur’an are carried out using a descriptive–analytical approach. The investigation is based on a close and meticulous examination of the manuscript and has proven particularly useful in the field of codicology. Data were collected through both library research and field observation. Since this article focuses on a single manuscript, attention has been given, as far as possible, to all components and structural elements of the Waqf Qur’an of Imam Quli Khan. For certain codicological features—such as paper dimensions, tables, motifs, and verse markers—measurement was limited to selected samples. These measurements were conducted while observing preservation precautions and only on intact sections of the manuscript. The method of analysis is qualitative.

Findings & Results: The study shows that the Waqf Quran of Imam Quli Khan remained in the portico of Allahverdi Khan for recitation and preservation from the time of its endowment until 1315 SH, after which it was transferred to the Astan Quds Razavi Library. Marginal notes written on several folios of the manuscript confirm this history. Most of these notes belong to Mirza Fazlollah Rawzeh‑khan, the son of Akhund Mulla Yusuf Rawzeh‑khan. He refers to himself as a rawzeh‑khan (eulogy reciter) and the guardian (hafez) of Dar al‑Saʿadah, and introduces his father as the guardian of the area located at the foot of the blessed shrine.The main text of the manuscript is written in Naskh script, while its additions are executed in Thuluth, Tawqi, and Nastaliq scripts. In terms of codicological structure and manuscript compilation, the Quran closely resembles manuscripts produced in Shiraz during the Safavid period. Features such as the illuminated medallions of the first double-page frontispiece, the beginning of the Quranic text on the second double-page opening, and the inclusion of a Persian poetic horoscope at the conclusion of the manuscript reflect conventions associated with the Shiraz school of manuscript production. The illumination and page layout likewise conform to stylistic principles characteristic of Safavid Shiraz manuscripts. The manuscript can probably be attributed to workshops active in Shiraz between the second half of the tenth century AH and the early eleventh century AH. It was likely created in commercial workshops without a direct commission and later circulated in the manuscript market. Like many Shiraz manuscripts of this period, the Quran was produced anonymously and lacks a colophon. The waqf inscription on the opening folio further indicates that the manuscript was not originally commissioned by Imam Quli Khan.
Keywords
Codicology
Quran manuscript
Allahverdi Khan
Imam Quli Khan
Shiraz School
Safavid period
Astan Quds Razavi
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Negareh Journal
Volume 21, Issue 78
Spring 2026
Pages 28-43

  • Receive Date 14 July 2025
  • Revise Date 03 November 2025
  • Accept Date 03 December 2025
  • Publish Date 01 July 2026