Register for a CSMC lecture

Thursday, 11 April 2024, 4:15 pm – 6:00 pm CEST

Warburgstraße 26, 20354 Hamburg, Room 0001 (Pavilion), and online

Avoiding Perfection

Tracing the Origins and Evolution of an Iranian Scribal Tradition

Emad Sheikh al-Hokamaee (University of Tehran)

A significant characteristic of documents from Islamic Iran is the intentional removal of the right bottom corner. It is the result of a deliberate scribal practice to avoid a perfect four-square shape (Arabic/Persian: tarbīʿ). This practice had been noted by some French travellers in 17th-century Safavid Iran, but it has remained unexplored since. In this presentation, I will delve into its roots and show its evolution. I will rely on the largely unpublished Ardebil archives, the most extensive collection of pre-Safavid judicial and administrative documents, alongside other documents from the Safavid (16th-18th c.) and Qajar (19th c.) periods. Statistical analysis will allow the categorisation of the modifications made to these documents. Based on a vast array of references in writing manuals and poetry, I argue that before the 14th century, the practice of eschewing perfect four-square shapes was closely tied to astronomical beliefs linked to the cycles of the moon. 

In a further part, I will show the influence of the same tradition on the layout of the codex-shape manuscripts, highlighting how it determined the choice of a special kind of frame for the margins, as well as the intentional extension of text beyond the margins. 

This talk will not only shed light on a unique aspect of Iranian manuscript culture but also challenge the perception of such imperfections as anomalies or the result of mere superstition.

Join the lecture online on ZOOM:

https://uni-hamburg.zoom.us/j/63529475168?pwd=aUVyUVFqTHphRWFQODY4RitYVjA4dz09

Meeting ID: 635 2947 5168
Passcode: 83192771

Please register to attend in person: