Bahram Gur and the Iranian princess in the white pavilion, from Seven Portraits (Haft Paykar), in the Five Poems (Khamsa), by Nizami

Muḥammad Muqim, attributed to

Bahram Gur and the Iranian princess in the white pavilion, from Seven Portraits (Haft Paykar), in the anthology of Five Poems (Khamsa), by Nizami. Nizami's Seven Portraits tells how prince Bahram marries seven princesses from the seven world regions, and orders a pavilion built for each bride within his palace. Following cosmic order, each world region has a specific colour, virtue, ruling planet and day of the week, and Bahram's seven pavilions are themed accordingly. Each night, he visits one princess, who tells him a story. The week ends in the white pavilion on Friday, when Bahram visits the Iranian princess, attended by her servants and musicians, and listens to her story. Folio, ink, colours and gold on paper, Persian text in nasta`liq script, with painting (unsigned, attributed to Muhammad Muqim, on recto), from Seven Portraits (Haft Paykar), in the anthology Five Poems (Khamsa), by Nizami (1141-1209), copied by Mulla Barqi and Mulla `Arabshah, ordered by librarian (kitabdar) `Abd al-Rahman for Janid ruler ‘Abd al-`Aziz Bahadur Khan (r. 1647-80), Bukhara, Uzbekistan, codex (Per 276, fol. 348v) dated 15 Dhu'l-Hijja 1081, 25 April 1671.