The Place of the Or. 2265 “Khamsa” Manuscript in the Visual Representation of Classical Eastern Heritage and the Cultural Philosophy of Nizami Ganjavi (Artificial Intelligence–Based Analysis)

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive study of Nizami Ganjavi’s “Khamsa” based on one of the most significant Safavid-period manuscripts,
known as the “Khamsa of Shah Tahmasib”, preserved in the British
Library under the inventory number Or. 2265. The research highlights
Nizami Ganjavi’s role as a prominent thinker and poet formed within the
Azerbaijani cultural milieu.
The study demonstrates that the “Khamsa” is not only a literary
monument but also a multilayered cultural system reflecting the political,
ideological, and philosophical thought of its time. The illuminated
manuscripts produced at the Safavid court functioned as visual means of
expressing these ideas, while the arts of miniature painting and illumination
symbolically conveyed concepts of political legitimacy, spiritual values,
and cosmic order. The miniatures of the Or. 2265 manuscript do not
merely illustrate Nizami’s text; they interpret it and expand its semantic
dimensions.
The article integrates classical approaches from art history and
philology with methods drawn from artificial intelligence and digital
humanities. Digital analyses have enabled an objective examination of
the stylistic features of the miniatures, their color and compositional
structures, as well as the rhythmic and symmetrical organization of
ornamental elements. At the same time, it is emphasized that digital tools
cannot independently interpret historical and cultural contexts, and the
results obtained must be critically assessed by humanities scholars.
The research concludes that the most effective approach to studying
the Or. 2265 “Khamsa” manuscript lies in the synthesis of traditional
scholarly methods and digital technologies. This integrated methodology
enhances academic rigor and underscores the importance of studying
Nizami’s legacy not only as a textual corpus but also as a material and
visual cultural phenomenon. The methodological framework proposed in
this article may be successfully applied to future studies of other classical
manuscripts.