Description:

A HISTORY BOOK INCLUDING THE LETTERS OF THE FATIMID IMAM AL-MU’AYYAD BILLAH
Yemen or Egypt, dated 617 AH / 1220–21 CE (based on the colophon)

Description:
Arabic manuscript on thick Yemeni paper, 43 leaves written in black ink in a neat copyist hand (naskh or early maghribi influence), bound in a fine dark brown leather binding with geometric central medallion and corner motifs. This historical and epistolary collection includes letters from Imam al-Mu’ayyad Billah, compiled by Qadi Hamid ibn Ahmad al-Mahli, a prominent Fatimid judge, from a treasury in Cairo. Colophon references the original composition by Yahya ibn Ahmad al-‘Alawi and Al-Talib Abu Talib al-Marfi in Daylam (modern-day northern Iran) in 520 AH.

Dimensions: 18.5 x 19.5 cm

This rare manuscript preserves an important record of early Fatimid-Isma’ili statecraft, diplomacy, and da‘wa (missionary) correspondence. The square format, red-ink diacritics, and use of regional paper and binding techniques support a Yemeni or Upper Egyptian production under Fatimid cultural influence.

Comparable examples:

  • A Fatimid Isma’ili manuscript on theology and da‘wa, dated 12th century, sold at Christie’s, London, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 28 April 2022, Lot 12, for £81,250.

  • A collection of epistles from the Fatimid dā‘ī Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani, 11th century, sold at Sotheby’s, London, Arts of the Islamic World, 25 April 2018, Lot 8, for £112,500.

  • A similar early Fatimid manuscript fragment in kufic script on vellum sold at Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 11 June 2012, Lot 2, for £36,000.

Note:
Manuscripts from the Fatimid period are exceptionally rare, particularly texts that reflect the political and intellectual life of the Isma’ili da‘wa. This manuscript, with its direct references to both Cairo and Daylamite origins, bridges two major centers of Fatimid influence and demonstrates the mobility of knowledge in the medieval Shi‘i world.

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May 6, 2025 1:00 PM BST
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