Exhibits from the Near East Collection at Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library & Yale University Library

Exhibit "Islamic Book and Bookbinding"

Tooled and stamped leather binding
(ca. 18th cent. A.D. / 12th cent. A.H.)

Dala'il al-khayrat. A work in Arabic, written in praise of the prophet Muhammad by the Moroccan mystic Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Jazuli (d. 1465).
Vowelled Naskhi script.

The binding, in traditional Arab style, incorporates Persian elements that became dominant in leather bindings from the 16th century onward. The compass-and-ruler border frames stamped medallions with floral motifs and the flap has been designed to match the cover.

Beinecke; Arabic ms. 40