IMAGE

Haroun al-Rashid and the ‘House of Wisdom' Item Info

Title:
Haroun al-Rashid and the ‘House of Wisdom'
Creator:
Author: Ahmad Muhammad Ghaffari of Kashan. Scribe: Ahmad al-Shirazi
Date Created:
1573
Accurate Dates:
1573-74
Description:
Miniature painting taken from a Nigaristan manuscript (East Azerbaijan, province of Iran). The miniature features the grandeur of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid's palace. In the painting, his vizer is seated at the top of the room, receiving guests on behalf of the Caliph who is not pictured. In Thousand and One Nights, the Caliph is depicted as "The Well-Guided" whose rise to power and wise actions paint him as a strong, well-suited ruler for Baghdad. The Caliph is perhaps more well-known for his support of the arts, literature and science which led to his creation of the "House of Wisdom", the Grand Library of Baghdad. He is also known for his grand gift to Charlemange, the King of the Franks, to whom he sent an elephant to Europe as a gift for the European ruler.
Subjects:
miniature painting manuscript folio harun
Location:
Kashan, Iran
Latitude:
33.99299510081563
Longitude:
51.42660173024479
Source:
Kitab-i Nigaristan; Aga Khan Museum
Source Identifier:
AKM272.f37v
Type:
Image;StillImage
Format:
image/jpeg
Source
Preferred Citation:
"Haroun al-Rashid and the ‘House of Wisdom'", A Robe By Any Other Name,
Reference Link:
https://bethabr.github.io/a-robe-by-any-other-name/items/eadata009.html
Rights
Rights:
Creative Commons CC BY-NC 2.5 CA
Standardized Rights:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ca/