Nigaristan of Ahmad Ghaffari

Completed in 1552, the Nigaristan (“Picture Gallery”) contains more than 600 stories about the deeds and skills of prophets, rulers, commanders, and bureaucrats, spanning the pre-Islamic era through the 15th century. It was composed by the poet and scribe Ahmad Ghaffari of Qazvin (d. 1568), and dedicated to the Safavid ruler of Iran, Shah Tahmasp (r. 1524–1576). In the preface, Ghaffari states that his aim was to educate the Safavid royal family in history while avoiding dry and tedious narratives. Peppered with entertaining side stories, humorous tales, and descriptions of nature’s oddities, the Nigaristan reminds us that learning from the past can be as entertaining as it is instructional. Although several copies survive, the Aga Khan Museum’s manuscript is among the most heavily illustrated, with forty-four pictures.

AKM272 Fol. 317v-318r


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