Thursday Lecture: Emad Sheikh al-Hokamaee
Wann: Do, 11.04.2024, 16:15 Uhr bis 18:00 Uhr
Wo: Warburgstraße 26, 20354 Hamburg
Avoiding Perfection Tracing the Origins and Evolution of an Iranian Scribal Tradition
Emad Sheikh al-Hokamaee (University of Tehran)
A significant characteristic of documents from Islamic Iran is the intentional removal of the right bottom corner. It is the result of a deliberate scribal practice to avoid a perfect four-square shape (Arabic/Persian: tarbīʿ). This practice had been noted by some French travellers in 17th-century Safavid Iran, but it has remained unexplored since. In this presentation, I will delve into its roots and show its evolution. I will rely on the largely unpublished Ardebil archives, the most extensive collection of pre-Safavid judicial and administrative documents, alongside other documents from the Safavid (16th-18th c.) and Qajar (19th c.) periods. Statistical analysis will allow the categorisation of the modifications made to these documents. Based on a vast array of references in writing manuals and poetry, I argue that before the 14th century, the practice of eschewing perfect four-square shapes was closely tied to astronomical beliefs linked to the cycles of the moon.
In a further part, I will show the influence of the same tradition on the layout of the codex-shape manuscripts, highlighting how it determined the choice of a special kind of frame for the margins, as well as the intentional extension of text beyond the margins.
This talk will not only shed light on a unique aspect of Iranian manuscript culture but also challenge the perception of such imperfections as anomalies or the result of mere superstition.
About the speaker: About the speaker: Emad al-Din Sheikh al-Hokamaee is head of the “Epigraphy and Archives” section at the Institute of Archaeology, University of Tehran. He is a visiting scholar at the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures between March 15 and April 15, 2024. Mr. Sheikh al-Hokamaee has authored dozens of articles on epigraphy, seals, paper, writing manual (enshāʾ) Qur’an manuscripts, and archival documents of Islamic Iran, spanning from the early Islamic period up to the Qajar period. His most recent publication in English is (with D. Durand-Guédy) “The Deed of Sale of Bint Toghrïl (666/1267): a First In-Depth Study of the Ilkhanid Private Documents from the Mausoleum of Shaykh Ṣafī in Ardabil” (JESHO, 67/1-2, 2024).