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“perfect” and thereby forestalling his imminent blinding。 Indeed； he worked
with even more ardor and conviction。 In the house where he lived alone； he’d
begin working after the morning prayers and continue illustrating the same
horses； cypresses； lovers； dragons and handsome princes by candlelight in the
middle of the night again and again until bitter tears streamed from his eyes。
Much of the time； he’d gaze for days at an illustration by one of the great old
masters of Herat as he made an exact copy on another sheet。 In the end； he
pleted the book for Jihan Shah the Blacksheep； and as the master
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miniaturist had expected； he was at first praised and showered with gold
pieces； before being blinded with a sharp plume needle used to affix turban
plumes。 Before his pain had even subsided； Sheikh Ali left Herat and went to
join Tall Hasan the Whitesheep。 “Yes； indeed； I am blind；” he explained to Tall
Hasan； “yet I remember each of the splendors of the manuscript I’ve
illuminated for the last eleven years； down to each mark of the pen and each
stroke of the brush； and my hand can draw it again from memory。 My
Excellency； I could illustrate the greatest manuscript of all time for you。 Since
my eyes will no longer be distracted by the filth of this world； I’ll be able to
depict all the glories of Allah from memory； in their purest form。” Tall Hasan
believed the great master miniaturist； and the master miniaturist； keeping his
promise； illustrated from memory the most magnificent of books for the ruler
of the Whitesheep。 Everyone knew the spiritual power provided by the new
book was what lay behind Tall Hasan’s subsequent defeat of the Blacksheep
and the victorious Khan’s execution of Jihan Shah during a raid near Bing？l。
This magnificent book； along with the one Sheikh Ali Tabrizi made for the late
Jihan Shah； entered Our Sultan’s treasury in Istanbul when the ever…victorious
Tall Hasan was defeated at the Battle of Otlukbeli by Sultan Mehmet Khan the
Conqueror； may he rest in peace。 Those who can truly see； know。
BA
Since the Denizen of Paradise； Sultan Süleyman Khan the Lawgiver； favored
calligraphers over illustrators； unfortunate miniaturists of the day would
recount the present story as an example of how illustrating surpasses
calligraphy。 However； as anyone who pays close attention will realize； this tale
is actually about blindness and memory。 After the death of Tamerlane； Ruler of
the World； his sons and grandchildren set to attacking and mercilessly battling
one another。 In the event that one of them succeeded in conquering another’s
city； his first action was to mint his own coins and have a sermon read at the
mosque。 His second act as victor was to pull apart the books that had e
into his possession； a new dedication would be written； boasting of the
conqueror as the new “ruler of the world；” a new colophon added； and it
would all be bound together again so that those who laid eyes on the
conqueror’s book would believe that he truly was a world ruler。 When
Abdüllatif； the son of Tamerlane’s grandson Ulu？ Bey； captured Herat； he
mobilized his miniaturists； calligraphers and binders with such haste； and so
pressured them to make a book in honor of his father； a connoisseur of book
arts； that as volumes were in the midst of being unbound and the scripted
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pages destroyed and burned； the corresponding pictures became mixed up。
Since it did not befit the honor of Ulu？ Bey for his son to arrange and bind
albums without a care for which picture belonged to which story； he
assembled all the miniaturists in Herat and requested that they recount the
stories so as to put the illustrations in proper order。 From each miniaturist’s
mouth； however； came a different account； and so the correct order of the
plates was confused all the more。 Thereupon； the oldest surviving head
miniaturist was sought out。 He was a man who’d extinguished the light of his
eyes in painstaking labor on the books of all the shahs and princes who’d
ruled over Herat for the last fifty… four years。 A great motion ensued when
the men realized that the old master now peering at the pictures was indeed
blind。 Some laughed。 The elderly master requested that an intelligent boy； who
had not yet reached the age of seven and who couldn’t read or write； be
brought forward。 Such a child was found and taken to him。 The old
miniaturist placed a number of illustrations before him。 “Describe what you
see；” he instructed。 As the boy described the pictures； the old miniaturist；
raising his blind eyes to the sky； listened carefully and responded： “Alexander
cradling the dying Darius from Firdusi’s Book of Kings… the account of the
teacher who falls in love with his handsome student from Sadi’s Rosegarden
…the contest of doctors from Nizami’s Treasury of Secrets…” The other
miniaturists； vexed by their elderly and blind colleague； said； “We could’ve
told you that as well。 These are the best…known scenes from the most famous
stories。” In turn； the aged and blind miniaturist placed the most difficult
illustrations before the child and again listened intently。 “Hürmüz poisoning
the calligraphers one by one from Firdusi’s Book of Kings；” he said； again facing
the sky。 “A cheap rendition of the terrible account of the cuckold who catches
his wife and her lover in a pear tree； from Rumi’s Masnawi；” he said。 In this
fashion； relying on the boy’s descriptions； he identified all of the pictures；
none of which he could see； and thereby succeeded in having the books
properly bound together again。 When Ulu？ Bey entered Herat with his army；
he asked the old miniaturist by what secret he； a blind man； could identify
those stories that other master illustrators couldn’t determine even by looking
at them。 “It isn’t； as one might assume； that my memory pensates for my
blindness；” replied the old illustrator。 “I have never forgotten that stories are
recollected not only through images； but through words as well。” Ulu？ Bey
responded that his own miniaturists knew those words and stories； but still
couldn’t order the pictures。 “Because；” said the old miniaturist； “they think
quite well when it es to painting； which is their skill or their art； but they
don’t prehend that the old masters made these pictures out of the
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memories of Allah Himself。” Ulu？ Bey asked how a child could know such
things。 “The child doesn’t know；” said the old miniaturist。 “But I； an elderly
and blind miniaturist； know that Allah created this worldly realm the way an
intelligent seven…year…old boy would want to see it； what’s more； Allah created
this earthly realm so that； above all； it might be seen。 Afterward； He provided
us with words so we might share and discuss with one another what we’ve
seen。 We mistakenly assumed that these stories arose out of words and that
illustrations were painted in service of these stories。 Quite to the contrary；
painting is the act of seeking out Allah’s memories and seeing the world as He
sees the world。”
DJIM
Two hundred fifty years ago； Arab miniaturists were in the custom of staring
at the western horizon at daybreak to alleviate the understandable and eternal
anxieties about going blind shared by all miniaturists； likewise； a century later
in Shiraz； many illustrators would eat walnuts mashed with rose petals on an
empty stomach in the mornings。 Again； in the same era； the elder miniaturists
of Isfahan who believed sunlight was responsible for the blindness to which
they succumbed one by one； as if to the plague； would work in a half…dark
corner of the room； and most often by candlelight； to prevent direct sunlight
from striking their worktables。 At day’s end； in the workshops of the Uzbek
artists of Bukhara； master miniaturists would wash their eyes with water
blessed by sheikhs。 But of all of these precautions； the purest approach to
blindness was discovered in Herat by the miniaturist Seyyit Mirek； mentor to
the great master Bihzad。 According to master miniaturist Mirek； blindness
wasn’t a scourge； but rather the crowning reward bestowed by Allah upon the
illuminator who had devoted an entire life to His glories； for illustrating was
the miniaturist’s search for Allah’s vision of the earthly realm； and this unique
perspective could only be attained through recollection after blindness
descended； only after a lifetime of hard work and only after the miniaturist’s
eyes tired and he had expended himself。 Thus； Allah’s vision of His world only
bees manifest through the memory of blind miniaturists。 When this
image es to the aging miniaturist； that is； when he sees the world as Allah
sees it through the darkness of memory and blindness； the illustrator will have
spent his lifetime training his hand so it might transfer this splendid revelation
to the page。 According to the historian Mirza Muhammet Haydar Duglat； who
wrote extensively about the legends of Herat miniaturists； the master Seyyit
Mirek； in his explication of the aforementioned notion of painting； used the
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example of the illustrator who wanted to draw a horse。 He reasoned that even
the most untalented painter—one whose head is empty like those of today’s
Veian painters—who draws the picture of a horse while looking at a horse
will still make the image from memory； because； you see； it is impossible； at
one and the same time； to look at the horse and at the page upon which the
horse’s image appears。 First； the illustrator looks at the horse； then he quickly
transfers whatever rests in his mind to the page。 In the interim； even if only a
wink in time； what the artist represents on the page is not the horse he sees；
but the memory of the horse he has just seen。 Proof that for even the most
miserable illustrator； a picture is possible only through memory。 The logical
extension of this concept； which regards the active worklife of a miniaturist as
but preparation for both the resulting bliss of blindness and blind memory； is
that the masters of Herat regarded the illustrations they made for bibliophile
shahs and princes as training for the hand—as an exercise。 They accepted the
work； the endless drawing and staring at pages by candlelight for days without
break； as the pleasurable labor that delivered the miniaturist to blindness。
Throughout his whole life； the master miniaturist Mirek constantly sought out
the most appropriate moment for this most glorious of approaching
eventualities； either by purposely hurrying blindness through the painstaking
depiction of trees and all their leaves on fingernails； grains of rice and even on
strands of hair； or by cautiously delaying the imminent darkness by the
effortless drawing of pleasant； sun…filled gardens。 When he was seventy； in
order to reward this great master； Sultan Hüseyin Baykara allowed him to
enter the treasury containing thousands of manuscript plates that the Sultan
had collected and secured under lock and key。 There； in the treasury that also
contained weapons； gold and bolt upon bolt of silk and velvet cloth； by the
candlelight of golden candelabra； Master Mirek stared at the magnificent
leaves of those books； each a legend in its own right； made by the old masters
of Herat。 And after three days and nights of continuous scrutiny； the great
master went blind。 He accepted his condition with maturity