INTRODUCTION OF SHAHNAMEH MANUSCRIPT AVAILABLE IN SAADABAD PALACE LIBRARY

Historical illustrated manuscripts and written works in the museums of a country are among the cultural and spiritual heritage of that country and their introduction is very important. In this study, an attempt was made to introduce one of the valuable historical and artistic works of Saadabad Palace, which is an illustrated and unknown manuscript of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh. Unlike many manuscripts of Shahnameh in museums and libraries inside and outside Iran, which have been repeatedly considered by artists and experts, this manuscript has not received expert attention. Examining the Shahnameh in Saadabad Palace qualitatively and aesthetically is an attempt to identify and introduce this manuscript. According to the study of the paintings of this exquisite and valuable manuscript, this Shahnameh seems to have been created in the Timurid and early Safavid periods, approximately between the second half of the ninth century AH and the first half of the tenth century AH. According to the characteristics of the paintings in terms of composition, constituent elements, type of color, coloring used, etc., this work was probably first influenced by Shiraz School as the main cradle of Timurid style and in later stages, it was more influenced by the characteristics of Herat School. Even after the decline of the Timurid period and the rise of the Safavids, due to the power of the Herat School and Timurid artists until the first third of the tenth century AH, the originality of Timurid imagery is still preserved in this Shahnameh, despite the inclusion of Safavid elements in these paintings and the great similarity of the details of the paintings with the Tabriz School.