Sahifi Zu’l-Qadr

Sahifi Javhari Shirazi (d. 1613), a poet and calligrapher well-known as Javhari, a descendant of Sufi Khalil, and a notable figure of the Zu‘l-Qadr Tribe. Born in Shiraz, he grew up in Isfahan. He composed elegant poetry in Persian and Turkish and in his poetry he mainly eulogized the Infallible Imams (AS). He established a quite interesting library at the Masjid Jami’ in the neighborhood of Sitanan, Isfahan. He spent most of his life in Isfahan. Writing an elegant hand in Thulth and Katiba scripts, he wrote the majority of inscriptions of mosques and tomb stones. He was a prominent inscription calligrapher in Safavid times. He also had mastery of illumination, bookbinding, and rebinding manuscripts. Sahifi lived more than 80 years. His son, Asirin Shirazi died in his father’s lifetime. His works include his Divan of poetry; an inscription at the entrance of the Masjid Jami’ in Isfahan with a three-dang elegant Thulth and average Nasta’liq hands with the epilogue: ‘Sultan Shah ‘Abbas Safavi … succeeded in repairing this tomb … written by Sahifi 1587’; an inscription above the gate of Jarchi Mosque in Isfahan in the Thulth script with the following epilogue: ‘By blessings and graces … the year 1705, written by Sahifi Javhari; an inscription above the gate of the small mosque of Jurjir in Isfahan with the epilogue: ‘[written by] the poor Sahifi Jawhar in the year 1706’; an inscription inside the tomb of Shahshahan in Isfahan in Thulth script with the epilogue: ‘in the year 1701, written by Sahifi of Fars.’

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