This document features a chancery script written in rotulus format. Lines curve upward and baselines are nested and stacked, with each succeeding word beginning above the previous. Words are stacked at line-ends.
e.g. ʾīshan gūsfandigān


Interlinear spacing is noticeable. Abusive ligatures are frequent.
e.g. bi-risāla line 6


Though there is little to no variation in ductus width and letterforms do not adhere to a consistent angle of incline, the remaining features — upward-curving lines, nested and stacked baselines, stacked words at line-ends, abusive ligatures, and noticeable interlinear spacing — conform to the graphic conventions of the Abbasid/Buyid chancery of Baghdad. The closing formulary is derived from the Seljuk chancery.

Glossary

Abusive ligature — the joining of canonically non-connecting letters (e.g. alif) to a succeeding letter; a feature of both cursive and chancery scripts

Ductus — the movement of the pen caused by the gestures of the scribe when writing; particularly relevant when describing variation in stroke width between thick and thin strokes

Interlinear spacing — the space between lines of text

Nested baselines — baselines of individual words which are slanted, with succeeding words beginning above the end of the preceding word

Rotulus — a document in the form of a long vertical scroll

Stacked words — words written above one another toward the end of a line, a deliberate layout convention of the chancery style

Further Reading

• Shawe-Taylor, Edward. 2026. “Abbasid Continuities and Seljuk Innovations: Persian State Documents in the Bamiyan and Firuzkuh Papers.” In State Documents from the Medieval Islamicate World, edited by Nadia Vidro, Arezou Azad, and Marina Rustow. Edinburgh University Press, forthcoming.