Saʻdī (1210–1292)
Gulistān گلستان (The rose garden)
Golkonda, India?, seventeenth century
MS Add. 211

When the Lewis manuscripts came to the Library in 1727, they were shelved neatly in their specially constructed compartments in the upper section of the cabinet. Many were also wrapped in specially made covers of coarse brown leather, probably intended to protect the manuscripts on their long journey from India. In recent years these covers started to degrade and posed a risk of transferring dirt and leather dust onto the manuscript pages. These covers also conceal the original Islamic bindings. The decision was recently taken, with expert advice from the Library’s Conservation Department, to remove them and reveal the original bindings hidden beneath.