İstanbul Üniversitesi Nadir Eserler Kütüphanesi F.1412 Numaralı Yazmanın Fihrist Tezhibi

An illuminated Index is a section typically found in manuscript works, used to systematically list the contents of the text. This type of illumination includes decorative and design elements, serving both aesthetic and functional purposes. It helps facilitate quick access to different sections of the text. In some Islamic manuscript works, a table of contents (referred to as a fihrist) is included as an element. This section lists the chapters, sections, or headings of the work, helping the reader to navigate the text in a more systematic and accessible manner. This is particularly useful in voluminous or comprehensive works, offering significant convenience to the reader.

Similar to printed works, in manuscript books particularly those with sections, chapters, and subheadings, such as literary, historical, and religious manuscripts, as well as poetry anthologies the index is placed either before the text begins or at the end of the book. Some indexes are organized as lists, while others are arranged in tables or frames.

This study focuses on the examination of the art of illumination in the index of the manuscript numbered F.1412 at the İstanbul Üniversitesi Nadir Eserler Kütüphanesi (Istanbul University Rare Works Library), titled Külliyât-ı Sa'dî. This manuscript, composed by the famous Persian poet Sa'dî, is dated 846/1443 and consists of 421 folios written in Persian and Arabic ta'lîk script. The study will explore the position of the medallion-shaped illuminated index within the book, its sections and topic headings, the relationship of these headings to the text of the book, the page layout, design, application features, and elements.