Sultan Ibrahim Mirza

Who is Sultan Ibrahim Mirza?

Sultan Ibrahim Mīrzā, was the grandson of the conqueror, Timur, and son of Shahrukh Mirza, both of whom came from the Mongol Barlas tribe of Transoxiana. His mother was the Persian noblewoman, Goharshad. Sultan Ibrahim Mirza ruled as the governor of Shiraz and held Fars province from 1415 until 1435 - during his father Shahrukh Mirza's rule.

Sultan Ibrahim was an accomplished artist, avid calligrapher and great collector of books. Known to be observant in matters of religion, he personally scribed pious inscriptions on two madrasas he founded in Shiraz and at least five copies of the Qur’an. There remains a handwritten Qur'an in two volumes by him written in Naskh. Every page of this Qur’an, finished in June 1427, has profusely decorated margins of floral scrolls in gold and color. This two-part Qur’an is a splendid example of lavish manuscript production in the early Timurid period. They were stored in a small room on top of the Qur'an Gate in Shiraz. Travelers passing underneath the gates were believed to receive the blessing of the Holy Book as they began their trip or journey from Shiraz. In 1937 the two Qur’āns were taken from the gate and were taken to the Pars Museum in Shiraz, where they remain today. Sultan Ibrahim is also said to have repaired the Masjid-i Atiq but that soon thereafter it was again ruined by an earthquake.