Shahnameh of Ferdowsi along with Khamsa of Nezami

A photographic print based on manuscript number 1111 from the library of the Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia. With an introduction by Fathollah Mojtabaei, 2000, thirteen + 1077 pages. This version of the Shahnameh has been preserved for three to four centuries in the Saadlu family, an old and renowned family residing in Nakhchivan and Azerbaijan. The manuscript is in a large format (33 × 23 cm) and consists of 539 leaves, containing the entire Shahnameh text, and the Khamsa of Nezami written diagonally in the margins. Based on the script style, certain spelling characteristics, and other evidence, this Shahnameh version can possibly be dated to the late 7th or the first half of the 8th century AH. Although it may not be the oldest or the best manuscript of Shahnameh, it is undoubtedly the oldest known Shahnameh manuscript in Iran and one of the oldest in the world. The importance of this manuscript is further enhanced by the presence of the ancient Khamsa of Nezami in the margins.