This study explores a 19th-century manuscript believed to originate from Ottoman Turkey. Recently acquired by the Walter Havighurst Special Collections, our understanding of this artifact was limited to an art seller’s description, which identified it as an Anam’i Sharif containing excerpts from the Surah al-An’am. Upon further research, we discovered that this circular, hand-crafted prayer book features Arabic text that includes short prayers, attributes of God, hadith (words of the Prophet), selected extracts from the Qur’an, and a traditional depiction of the Prophet Muhammad. The book is adorned with sacred and symbolic images associated with the Prophet Muhammad and significant Islamic sites. Its compact, concertina format suggests it was intended as a talismanic personal devotional object, possibly worn on the body or attached to battle standards. Unlike conventional prayer books, this manuscript emphasizes imagery over text, highlighting its potential use for meditative prayer or collective protection. The deliberate crafting of this manuscript indicates that its colors, materials, and iconography all carry significance within the cultural context of the book. This research represents only the initial steps toward understanding the importance of portable, talismanic prayer books.

This project is the cumulation of 12 weeks of a research apprenticeship. Each week, Dr. Klosowska and I (often including peers, librarians, and other scholars) met in Special Collections in King Library to discuss the manuscript.