A Stanford Libraries curator happened to pop into a Monterey book dealer's shop last summer and asked if any interesting manuscripts had come in recently. In fact, a noteworthy find had arrived that day, although its provenance was unknown save for the signature, Muammad Amin al-Wafi, and the date: 1228 Hijra, or 1813.
The small, 230-page Islamic prayer book is a beauty. Each nine-line block of elegant Arabic calligraphy is framed with a thick gilt border, itself within a thinner line of gold toward the margins of the page. "It is not rare to find a book like this—but it's rare to find one in this condition," marvels John Eilts, Stanford Libraries' curator of Islamic and Middle Eastern collections, turning over the crisp, ecru pages.
The book's tooled leather case is not just intact, it is pristine. Typically, these protective jackets are damaged or discarded. Also rare: The book features two pages of full-color miniatures of preeminent mosques in Medina and Mecca.
"It's not something you stumble upon every day," Eilts said. "It's a fine, fine example of Arabic manuscript. It's interesting. We want to know more about it. But there are some things that may never be solved."
Whatever its origins, the gilded orphan with the mysterious past makes a remarkable addition to Stanford's Special Collections.
Cynthia Haven is the associate director of communications at Stanford Libraries.
