Manijeh Bayani Wolpert
Dr Manijeh Bayani is an independent scholar based in the UK, specialising in Persian and Arabic epigraphy. She is the author of/contributor to various publications including: The Windsor Shahnama of 1648 (2007), most of the catalogues in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art series, among them: Lacquer of the Islamic Lands (1997) The Decorated Word (2 volumes 1998 and 2009) and Persian Painting, The Arts of the Book and Portraiture, The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait (2015).
Precious Books and Their Travels in the Indian and Iranian Worlds.
Knowledge has been revered throughout the Islamic world, and establishing libraries and collection of books has been the pride of rulers, religious institutions, and wealthy private individuals. Mughal emperors not only prided themselves on possessing books but even personally annotated them. The value of manuscripts was such that libraries were among the first to be looted in time of war. This, together with royal envoys frequently travelling far to acquire books for royal libraries resulted in a widespread movement of books. Fortunately, a number of manuscripts feature some form of biography that can be established through notes or seal impressions, which provide us with valuable information, often not otherwise recorded. The al-Sabah Collection holds a few of these manuscripts which offer unique and valuable information.