2-748-444 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Yusuf and Zulaykha (Recto); Text Page, Persian Verses (verso), c. 1556-65. The Khamsa, a suite of five poems (khamsa is Arabic for five) written in the twelfth century, was, like the earlier Shahnama, concerned with the history and legends of pre-Islamic Iran. But Nizami's interest was with love rather than war. In this, the second of the poems, he tells the story of these two famous star-crossed lovers. It is difficult to assign the illustrations here to specific episodes, but they may be concerned with Khusro's stay at the court of Shirin's aunt, the Queen of Azarbaijan. Shirin and her companions prepare bowls of pomegranates in a courtyard before the palace.