al-Qazwini, Zakariya ibn Muhammad ibn Mahmud. 'Aja'ib al-Makhluqat wa Gharayib al-Mawjudat, Illuminated and Illustrated Persian Manuscript on Paper with One Hundred and Sixty Six Miniatures, Formerly in the Mughal Royal Library, Timurid, Persia, 15th Century

Fifteenth-century seal impression probably of a Timurid ruler

Seal impression of Amanat Khan Shah Jahan, dated A.H. 1042/A.D. 1632-3; Amanat Khan, whose name is 'Abd al-Haqq ibn Qasim Shirazi was the brother of Afzal Khan, the famous associate of Shah Jahan. He received the title Amanat Khan in A.H. 1041/A.D. 1632.  He wrote the inscriptions on the Taj Mahal, the tomb of Mumtaz mahal in Agra, and was rewarded with an elephant and a robe of honour in A.H. 1047/A.D. 1637-38.  He died in A.H.1050/A.D.1640-41.  The appearance of three different seals of his in manuscripts indicates that he was closely connected with the Mughal Royal Library. 

The author al-Qazwini was born at Qazwin circa 1203. By 1233 he was in Damascus where he came under the influence of the mystic Ibn al-'Arabi (died 1240).  He served as a qadi (judge) in the towns of Wasit and Hillah in Iraq under the last 'Abbasid caliph al-Musta'sim (1241-58).  He was celebrated both as a geographer and natural historian.  He wrote two principal texts, the present work on Cosmography and the marvels of Creation, dedicated to'Ata Malik-i Juwayni (d.1283), and a text on geography composed in 1262.  The text describes the firmament and the angels that inhabit it, the spheres and elements, meteorology, fire, thunder, the sea and its fishes and monsters, the earth and its mountains, rivers, minerals, plants, animals, birds and reptiles.  Al-Qazwini cites more than a hundred sources including Aristotle, Ptolemy, Dioscorides, the Qur'an and the Torah.  The earliest recorded copy dated A.H.678/A.D. 1280 is in Staatbibl. C. Arab.464 in Munich.  The work was translated into Persian and Turkish, and illustrated copies were commissioned by Timurid, Safavid and Mughal rulers.

The miniatures are as follows:

1. The double-headed woman of Yemen 2. A winged inhabitant of the island of Rayih near China 3. Kneeling naked dweller of the island of al-Rami 4. Ape-headed dweller of the island of Atwaran 5. Sea serpent which goes on land 6. Woman with hair like horses' tails of the island of Barta'il 7. Dweller of Jabeh with his head on his chest 8. One-horned rabbit 9. Fish with human's head 10. A flat white black spotted fish with a hook 11. A dweller of the island of Sagsar lifting a naked woman 12. A fish with the head of a cow 13. Demon in the form of a veiled woman who lives in the woods 14. Demon who kills his victims through sexual intercourse 15. A demon riding an ostrich looking for victims 16. A demon with half a face 17. A demon playing the lute who was encountered by Solomon 18. A black demon with a horse's tail who was encountered by Solomon 19. Talisman of Mercury 25. Talisman of the Moon 26. Illustration of the art of the carpenter: A casket in the shape of a throne 27. Automaton of a woman who lit candles with a taper round the throne 28. Diagrams 29. The eagle carrying the baby in its beak after rescuing it from the river Ars 30. The stone lions from whose mouths water gushed on Mount al-Makas 31. A naked inhabitant of the land of the Bulgars 32. Cat 33. Siraish, large cat that dwells near Kabul 34. A unicorn 35. Hyena 36. An audience with the Imam 'Ali 37. Palm tree 38. Melon 39. Lemon 40. Oranges 41. Rabbit 42. Lion 43. Fox 44. Jarish 45. Sanbad, an animal resembling and elephant 46. Deer 47. Mountain goat 48. Jackal 49. Ibn 'ars, weasel 50. Mule 51. Donkey 52. Horse 53. Wild ass 57. Sama', the mongrel whelp between wolf and hyena 58. A giant 39. Porcupine 60. A lizard with a tail 61. A member of Gog and Magog 62. A cock pheasant 63. Kanz 64. Bird that sits on serpent's eggs 65. Sri 66. Black sparrow 67. Pigeon 68. Khuttal, swallow 69. Partridge 70. Cockerel 71. Chicken 72. Eagle 73. Crow or raven 74. Quail 75. Falcon 76. Royal white falcon 77. Grey pigeon 78. Green magpie 79. Whistler 80. Hawk or falcon 81. Peacock 82. Eagle 83. Magpie 84. Serpent 85. Snake 86. Wild ass 87. Camel 88. Cow 89. Stag 90. Buffalo 91. Tortoise 92. Boar or pig 93. Bear 94. Wolf 95. Lynx 96. Cheetah 97. Elephant 98. Monkey 99. Rhinoceros 100. Dog 101. Leopard 102. Turkey 103. Duck 104. Falcon 105. Royal white falcon 106. Parrot 107. Nightingale 108. Owl 109. The Sleepers in the cave on Mount Rakim 110. Farhad's carvings in Mount Bisitun 111. Simurgh 112. Crow 113. Blackwater fowl 114. Heron 115. Ring-dove 116. Partridge 117. Lark 118. Turle-dove 119. Phoenix 120. Crane 121. Stork 122. Eagle 123. Ostrich 124. Hoopoe 125. Tiger 126. Giraffe 127. Sheep 128. Goat 129. Dolphin 130. Crab 131. Parviz on horseback carved in Mount Bisitun 132. Tortoise 133. Sea-horse 134. Sea-dog 135. Crocodile 136. Dragon 137.  Winged fish 139. Woman emerging from a fish on sheep Island (Caspian Sea) 140. Water-man (Caspian sea) 141. Sea-cow (Caspian Sea) 142. Centaurus 143. Aries 144. Taurus 145. Gemini 146. Cancer 147. Leo 148. Virgo 149. Libra 150. Scorpio 151. Sagittarius 152. Capricorn 153. Aquarius 154. Pisces 155. Al-Jabbarah 156. Orbit of Mars 157. Orbit of the Moon 158. Orbit of Mercury 159. Orbit of Jupiter 160. Orbit of Saturn 161. Orbit of Venus 162. Orbit of the sun 163. The four angels supporting God's throne 164. Israfil with trumpet 165. Jibra'il 166. Harut and Marut hanging upside down.

Another Timurid copy of the 'Ajaib al-Makhluqat with one hundred and ninety-four small miniatures, Shiraz, circa 1480-90, and six loose illustrated leaves from the Hagop Kevorkian Collection were sold in these rooms, 21 April 1980, lots 176 and 56 respectively.