The Travellers Salim and Ghanim Rest before the White Stone
The Travellers Salim and Ghanim Rest before the White Stone
Fol. 46v from a manuscript of Anvar-i Suhayli
Attributed to Sadiqi Beg (d. 1610)
Iran, Qazvin (?), 1593
Watercolours, gold, silver, and ink on paper
AKM289
A meditation on illusion versus reality, this illustration accompanies a story about two travelers named Salim and Ghanim. While stopping to rest one evening, they discover a white stone on the bank of a reservoir inscribed with a mysterious message: disregard the appearance of obstacles along the path, for these can be overcome by following certain instructions. After debating the legitimacy of the message, Salim refuses to continue, while Ghanim presses forth. He reaches a seemingly impassable mountain, but then remembers the stone’s instructions and locates a carved lion at the mountain’s base, lifts it onto his shoulders, and summits the peak in a single run. Suddenly, the sculpture magically lets out a roar, arousing the inhabitants of a magnificent city nearby, who crown Ghanim as their king. The moral of the story is that “whoever is ambitious will become exalted.”