Ms Or 20 f.23v Yunus and the Whale, miniature from the 'Jami' al-Tawarikh' of Rashid al-Din, c.1307
Il-Khanid: Tabriz, 1314
Opaque watercolour, ink, gold and silver on paper
Edinburgh University Library, MS. Or. 20, folio 23v
Detail of miniature from the Compendium of Chronicles by Rashid al-Din. Shows Junus (Jonah) and the whale. The position of Junus, lying in the shade of a gourd plant, which God caused to grow to provide him with food and shelter until her could recover his strength (Jonah 4:6), is similar to iconography found in early Christian art. The depiction of the whale as a fish may be due to a lack of knowledge concerning the creatures.

Source: Edinburgh University Library