The great thinker, poet and statesman, sultan of poetry Alisher Navoi is the great representative of the Temurid dynasty, the king and poet Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur made a great contribution to the development of miniature and book art in the Temurid period. The heyday of miniature and book art was in Herat in the second half of the 15th century, in Bukhara and Tabriz in the first half of the 16th century, and in India in the second half of the 16th century.
Alisher Navoi devoted his activity to the development of science, enlightenment and literature, landscaping. He was a prominent figure who has raised Uzbek classical literature to a new level. In 1483-1485, Navoi created the work “Khamsa” (Quintuple). The work composes “Hayratul-Abror” (Wonders of Good People), “Farhod and Shirin”, “Layli and Majnun”, “Sab`ai Sayyar” (Seven Travelers), “Saddi Iskandari” (Alexander’s Wall). Some classical miniatures painted for ghazals of the lyric work by Navai “Khamsa”, represent the basic the content of the works. This could be seen in the works of the great miniaturist Kamoliddin Behzod and his students Qasim Ali, Dost Muhammad, Mirak Naqqash, Mahmud Muzahhib and other miniature artists. Navoi’s advanced humanitarian ideas continue to inspire artists up to now.
The great representative of the Temurid dynasty, Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur, is a politician, writer, poet and scholar who has a significant place in culture, literature and poetry of the Middle East. He founded the great Baburid empire in India and made a vivid contribution to develop the culture of his country. Miniatures of Babur’s works were also created by artists at that time. In particular, for the famous work “Baburnama” written by the outstanding scientist and statesman Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur (1483-1530), Indian artists created some miniatures in the 16th century.
In recent years, a number of well-known researchers have worked on the study beautiful paintings, patterns illustrated in the works and manuscripts, scientific analysis of heritage of two great figures of the Temurid period, and today the legacy of these eminent figures inspire artists, scholars and painters. Their name and creative heritage are greatly esteemed by our people.
The exhibition dedicated to the birthdays of Alisher Navai and Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur demonstrates photocopies of miniatures for Alisher Navoi’s works and miniatures for “Baburnama”. The miniatures depict architectural monuments, their decorations, gardens, palaces, landscapes, flora and fauna. The miniatures display the high progress of literature, poetry and fine arts in the XV-XVI centuries.
The main purpose of the exhibition is to present to the general public the unique examples of miniatures and book art of the Temurid period, by the works of Alisher Navoi and Zahiriddin Babur, who made a significant contribution to the development of world art.
