Among Zoroastrian burial items, there is a camel-shaped zoomorphic OSTADON lying there. It was found…
There is no doubt that on the territory of Mawarannahr books were created even earlier, but as for the term “the arts of the book”, it can be applicable from the first half of the 15th century, when the grandson of Timur, Ulugh Beg, moved the masters and craftsmen working on the decoration of books from Khurasan (Herat) to Samarkand.
‘Abd Allah al-Haravi who created many examples of calligraphic pieces (qit‘a) in this city, was probably among them, although the earliest preserved of his works dates back to 854/1449 – 1450, i. e. a year after Ulugh Beg’s death. ‘Abd Allah al-Haravi, also known as Tabbakh, was born in Herat to a cook’s family (Arab. tabbakh – cook, kitchener). He is considered to be the disciple of Ja‘far Tabrizi and the teacher of the famous calligrapher and official ‘Abd Allah Marvarid Bayani (1461 – 1526).
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album "Arts of the book in the 15th–17th-century Mawarannahr" (Volume XVII) in the series "Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections".
