A Comparative Study between the Texts and Images of Abu Bakr and Imam ‘Ali in the Ilkhanid and Timurid Copies of the Jamiʿ al-Tawarikh

Among the Jamiʿ al-Tawarikh manuscripts produced in the Rabʿ-i Rashidi, four copies have survived: one in Arabic and three in Persian. A century after their transcription, all these manuscripts were in the possession of the Timurid ruler, Shahrukh. Since these manuscripts were incomplete, Shahrukh ordered Hafiz-i Abru to complete the Persian copies. In the process of completion of one of these codices, considerable changes were made both in the text and the images. Since the Timurids were staunch followers of Sunnism of the Hanafite school of jurisprudence, the study of their manipulation in the section on the early Islamic history would have been of great significance. This investigation, which is a result of the examination of the original manuscripts held in the Topkapı Palace Library, was conducted with the application of comparative and codicological methods. In a textual examination, it explains the importance of codicological studies of the manuscripts, their life history and migrations for the process of their edition. This paper also compares the images added to these codices in the Ilkhanid and Timurid periods. The main questions are as follows: To what extent has Hafiz-i Abru manipulated the text of the Jamiʿ al-Tawarikh? Among the images of the Rashidun Caliphs, which caliph was more important to the Timurids and why? Some evidence shows that the recent printed edition of the Jamiʿ al-Tawarikh is in fact Hafiz-i Abru’s Majmaʿ al-Tawarikh that has been mistakenly identified as Rashid al-Din’s work. As a result, it can be stated that in the manuscripts completed by Hafiz-i Abru, there is a certain emphasis on Abu Bakr. This is evident in Hafiz-i Abru’s manipulation of the text, as well as in the images depicting the Rashidun Caliphs.