The Khalili Collection owns one of the most important illustrated medieval manuscripts in the world, the Jami al-Tawarikh, or 'Compendium of Chronicles,' which was written by the 14th century court historian Rashid al-Din. The 59 folios in the Collection are reproduced here in color for the first time after their recent restoration and, together with those in the Edinburgh University Library, form a fragment of the earliest surviving Arabic copy of the work.

Sheila Blair is Co-editor, Dictionary of Western Art (Western and Central Asia section)