Arafat al-Ashiqin va Arasat al-Arifin is written in Farsi and contains the biographies of about 3,500 poets from Afghanistan, Iran and the Indian subcontinent. There are a number of manuscripts of the same work. The manuscript that is inscribed on the AsiaPacific Memory of the World Register is the earliest known and was written during the lifetime of the author, Taqi alDin Muhammad Owḥadī Husseini Daqāqī Balīyānī who lived from 1565-1630 AD. It is this manuscript that is used as the source for further reproductions. A reproduction with an extensive introduction by Dr. Katayoon Mazdapour is currently in print.
The author travelled to many different regions to collect information on the poets and the manuscript documents the famous poets of each period. It is an important source for understanding the evolution of Persian poetry in Iran, the Indian subcontinent and Pakistan especially at the time of the Safavids in Iran and the Gurkani kings of India. It also demonstrates the wide spread use and influence of Farsi in the Middle East. The manuscript is written in Nasta’ligh style with four straight columns and one column at 45 degrees (chalipa). It consists of 608 folios with 23 lines on each page. The paper is made of termeh and the manuscript cover is tanned ewe skin engraved by burning. The titles and marks are red.