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The Kitab al-Bulhan, or Book of Wonders, is an Arabic manuscript dating mainly from the late 14th century CE and probably bound together in Baghdad during the reign of Jalayirid Sultan Ahmad (1382-1410). The manuscript is made up of astrological, astronomical and geomantic texts compiled by Abd al-Hasan Al-Isfahani, as well as a dedicated section of full-page illustrations, with each plate titled with 'A discourse on….', followed by the subject of the discourse (a folktale, a sign of the zodiac, a prophet, etc.).
Tabriz was capital of the Safavid Empire from 1501 to 1548, during which time many great painters, such as Aqa Mirak, Mir Sayyid Ali and Dust Muhammad produced magnificent royal manuscripts. Safavid art set the standard for painting, literature and architecture, as well as ceramics, metal and glass. While of course nourished by Persian culture, much Safavid art was strongly influenced by Turkish, Chinese, Ottoman and Western cultures. The royal workshops of Tabriz were very influential, and illuminated and illustrated manuscripts spread throughout the empire. When the capital was transferred from Tabriz to Qazvin in 1548, the court artists fled to foreign courts, mostly Mughal or Ottoman.