File:Nizam al-Din Hassan bin Husayn Qumi Nishapuri, known as Nizam-i a'raj (fl. 1311); a commentary on Tusi’s al-Tadhkirah Fi 'ilm al-Hay'a, signed ‘Ali bin Sufi bin Ibrahim Aqhari, Timurid Iran, dated December 1490.jpg

English: NIZAM AL-DIN HASSAN BIN HUSAYN QUMI NISHAPURI KNOWN AS NIZAM-I A'RAJ (FL. 1311 AD): A COMMENTARY ON TUSI’S AL-TADHKIRAH FI 'ILM AL-HAY'A

SIGNED ‘ALI BIN SUFI BIN IBRAHIM AQHARI, TIMURID IRAN, DATED SAFAR AH 896/DECEMBER 1490 AD

A commentary on Tusi's al-Tadhkirah fi 'ilm al-hay'a, a memoir on the science of astronomy, Arabic manuscript on dark cream burnished paper, 224ff. as numbered plus two flyleaves, each folio with 15ll. of black nasta’liq, some words and phrases picked out and underlined in red, numerous diagrams in red and black throughout, marginal annotations, the flyleaves with later added owners' notes, in brown morocco with flap, decorated blind stamped hexagonal lattice pattern, leather doublures with geometric and calligraphic silhouette decorations Folio 5 5/8 x 3 ¾in. (14.3 x 9.7cm.)

The colophon states that this work was compiled by Nizam al-Din al-Nishapuri in AH 711/1311-12 AD. Al-Hasan bin Muhammad bin al-Husayn al-Qumi al-Nishapuri was a mathematician and philosopher, originally from Qom but who resided in Nishapur. He wrote religious works, including a commentary on the Qur'an as well as scientific works such as a commentary on Tusi's treatise on the Almagest, Ta'bir al-tahrir (Al-Zarkaly, 2007, vol. 2, p.216). After moving to the Ilkhanid capital of Tabriz, he studied at the Ilkhanid observatory of Maragha, under Qutb al-Din Shirazi, himself a student of Nasir al-Din Tusi.

Other copies of this work are in Bombay, Istanbul, London, Mashhad, Najaf, Paris, Rampur, St. Petersburg, Tabriz and Tehran, see Rosenfeld & Ihsanoglu, 2003, p. 238, no.686. For more about Qutb-al-Din al-Shirazi (1236-1311). See C. Brockelmann, GAL, II, 256, Suppl.II, 273. A copy of another of his works, Kashf haqa'iq zij al-ilkhani, also a commentary on Tusi and dated 1432, sold at Christie's, South Kensington, 18 April 2016, lot 164.