Uploaded May 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
One of the most revered manuscripts in the Aga Khan Museum Collection is the late 13th-century Manuscript of the Spiritual Words from Greek Philosophy with Sayings of the Philosophers Accompanied with their Portraits.
Dr. Lale Uluç, art history professor at Boğaziçi University in İstanbul, describes the manuscript’s origins in Baghdad and significance of its main calligrapher, Yaqut al-Musta’simi. A celebrated scribe of the late Islamic times, his style was emulated by artists for centuries to come; such value was placed on his work that forgeries of his signature were not uncommon.
The exquisite double-cartouche title page shows the main heading at the top, in gold lettering over illuminated blue; the subtitle in the bottom cartouche is in white lettering against illuminated gold. The manuscript of 46 folios is a collection of maxims in Arabic attributed to Greek philosophers, alongside figural illustrations, including those of Hippocrates and Socrates.
This manuscript is a testament to the continuation of scholarship in Baghdad following the Mongol Siege, in which the library, known as the House of Wisdom, was destroyed in 1258. It also underscores the Islamic tradition, at that time, of collecting and translating into Arabic compelling knowledge from ancient Greek and Greek philosophers.
To learn more about the object (accession number AKM283): agakhanmuseum.org/collection
Bringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support.
One of the most revered manuscripts in the Aga Khan Museum Collection is the late 13th-century Manuscript of the Spiritual Words from Greek Philosophy with Sayings of the Philosophers Accompanied with their Portraits.
Dr. Lale Uluç, art history professor at Boğaziçi University in İstanbul, describes the manuscript’s origins in Baghdad and significance of its main calligrapher, Yaqut al-Musta’simi. A celebrated scribe of the late Islamic times, his style was emulated by artists for centuries to come; such value was placed on his work that forgeries of his signature were not uncommon.
The exquisite double-cartouche title page shows the main heading at the top, in gold lettering over illuminated blue; the subtitle in the bottom cartouche is in white lettering against illuminated gold. The manuscript of 46 folios is a collection of maxims in Arabic attributed to Greek philosophers, alongside figural illustrations, including those of Hippocrates and Socrates.
This manuscript is a testament to the continuation of scholarship in Baghdad following the Mongol Siege, in which the library, known as the House of Wisdom, was destroyed in 1258. It also underscores the Islamic tradition, at that time, of collecting and translating into Arabic compelling knowledge from ancient Greek and Greek philosophers.
To learn more about the object (accession number AKM283): agakhanmuseum.org/collection
Bringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support.
