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Books & Manuscripts

Sufi Manuscript Folio in Ottoman Turkish

Manuscript leaf on polished laid paper · Turkey, likely Konya · 18th century

US $45.00 · or best offer

Eighteenth-century manuscript folio in Arabic script, black ink with red highlights, on laid paper.
The folio, eighteen lines of naskh with red punctuation.

Description

An 18th-century handwritten manuscript folio in Ottoman Turkish, set in Arabic script on polished laid paper. The leaf measures approximately 200 × 306 mm (7.87 × 12 in) and is inscribed on both sides in a single column of eighteen lines per page. The black ink text is punctuated with red, possibly marking key phrases, divine names, or transitions in meaning.

The vocabulary is distinctly Sufi, theological and mystical in character, with themes including purification of the self (tazkiyat al-nafs), disciplined striving (mujāhada), spiritual wayfaring (sulūk), and the path to divine nearness (qurb ilā Allāh). Folios of this kind often belonged to instructional works written for disciples (murīdūn) under the guidance of a shaykh.

Visible chain and wire lines confirm handmade laid paper. The origin is given as Turkey, likely Konya, and the hand is in naskh or a related style.

Photographs

Details

OriginTurkey, likely Konya
Date18th century
ScriptOttoman Turkish in Arabic script, naskh or related style
MaterialPolished handmade laid paper
InkBlack and red
LayoutSingle column, 18 lines per page, recto and verso
Dimensions200 × 306 mm (7.87 × 12 in)
ReferenceeBay item 277864617227

Condition

The hand is clean, legible, and well executed, likely by a trained copyist, with the careful composition typical of devotional material. There is toning, spotting, edge tears, and marginal spotting consistent with age.