Shah ʿAbbās I of the Safavid dynasty (d. 1038 AH) pursued an extensive program during his long reign that included the establishment of religious centers, seminaries, and the patronage, dissemination, and endowment of books. In addition to these efforts, Shah ʿAbbās personally endowed several substantial collections of manuscripts to various sacred shrines and theological schools. Among these was the endowment of 120 small and large manuscripts to the revered shrine of the highly venerated Imāmzāda ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīm (A.S.), as well as to the madrasah [ʿAtīq] affiliated with this shrine, located in the district of Ghār in Rayy. This endowment is dated to the first day of the month of Dhū al-Qaʿda in the year 1037 AH.
Accordingly, a field-based and statistical investigation is necessary to determine the present condition of these endowed manuscripts: How many of the original 120 volumes remain in the Library of the ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīm Shrine today, and what are their cataloging characteristics? The findings show that only eight manuscripts from this 120-volume collection have survived. Five of them are currently housed in the ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīm Library (Jām-i Jahān-namā; a composite volume containing three treatises on logic; Miʿyār-i Jamālī; a translation of Nafahāt al-Lāhūt; and Kifāyat al-Taʿlīm). The remaining three manuscripts (Tashrīḥ al-Abdān; a composite volume containing four treatises; and Manāzil al-Sāʾirīn) are located in other libraries across the country. The investigation further reveals that 112 of Shah ʿAbbās’s endowed manuscripts are missing, and no information regarding their whereabouts is currently available.