Marriage decree ('Aqd-namah)

Qajar era Marriage decree ('Aqd-namah), written in Iran in 1219/1804-5, in various scripts. At the top appears an illuminated gold heading (sarloh or sar lawh) containing a number of prayers to God written in red ink on a gold background. On the right of the illuminated sarloh and in the right margin decorated by flower and leaf motifs painted in gold appears another invocation to God as the "Light of the Heavens and the Earth" (ayat al-nur, Qur'an 24:35). Between the illuminated prayers and the main text panel appear a number of seal impressions of the various marriage witnesses and the identification of the document as a marriage (nikah) certificate. Dimensions of Written Surface: Recto: 30 (w) x 80 (h) cm. Dimensions of Written Surface: Verso: 20.1 (w) x 65.2 (h) cm In the main text panel, various prayers to God are offered before introducing the bride and the groom, their various genealogies, their places of residence (Isfahan), and the marriage settlement provided by the groom (mahiryah). In this particular marriage contract, the groom offers his bride one hundred dinars, a bakery, and other shops he owns. These "collateral" gifts seem related to the sales contract (mubaya'at-namah) dated 28 Muharram 1228/ 31 January, 1813 on the backside of this marriage contract (see 1-90-154.189 V). Persian marriage contracts ('aqd-namahs) produced during the 18th and 19th centuries in Persia (Iran) belong to a class of Islamic legally-binding documents such as deeds of endowments (vaqf-namahs) and powers of attorney (vakalat-namahs). A number of these survive in Iranian collections: for example, see Layla Diba, "Iranian Wedding Contracts of the 19th and 20th Centuries" (Tehran: Negarestan Museum, 1976). The contract is written in ta'liq script tending towards shikastah. The text is unadorned, which is quite unlike the marriage contract . It appears that both documents are related to one another and provide detailed evidence of the various business and personal activities of a well-to-do merchant active in Isfahan during the first decade of the 19th century. This Persian document consists in a sales contract (mubaya'at-namah) written on 28 Muharram 1228/ 31 January, 1813. In this contract, several individuals enter into an agreement about the renting of several shops in the grand bazaar of Isfahan. The location of the shops, their goods (e.g. a bakery), and rental fees are specified. In the upper right corner, a witness has signed the contract and included his seal impression and the date of 2 Shawwal 1236/ July 3, 1821. This appears somewhat strange, as the witness' signature postdates the contract by seven years. One might speculate that the difference in dates may be due to a lengthy process of negotiation or an a posteriori addendum to the contract. This superb document consists of a legally-binding marriage contract ('aqd-namah) written in Persia (Iran) in 1219/1804-5. Like other Persian marriage contracts of the 19th century, the document is quite imposing (at almost a meter in height) and its goldwork indicative of the couple's wealth. Script: ta'liq, various 1-90-154.189