Falnama

thumb|right|upright|Adam and Eve being cast out from the Garden of Eden in the Dispersed Falnama thumb|right|upright|Coffin of Ali|Imam 'Ali from the Dispersed Falnama|alt=Refer to caption The Persian word Falnama () covers two forms of bibliomancy (fortune-telling using a book) used historically in Iran, Turkey, and India. Quranic Falnamas were sections at the end of Quran manuscripts used for fortune-telling based on a grid. In the 16th century, Falnama manuscripts were introduced that used a different system; individuals performed purification rituals, opened a random page in the book and interpreted their fortune in light of the painting and its accompanying text. Only a few illustrated Falnamas now survive; these were commissioned by rich patrons and are unusually large books for the time, with bold, finely executed paintings. These paintings illustrate historical and mythological figures as well as events and figures associated with the Abrahamic religions.

== Creation == Bibliomancy has a long history in Islamic culture, using both secular and religious books, especially the Quran. It was common for Quran manuscripts produced in India and Iran to have folios at the end specifically for divination ("Quranic falnamas"), from at least the late 14th century to the 19th. Their popularity intensified in Safavid Iran in the mid-16th century during the reign of Shah Tahmasp. This period also saw the first creation of dedicated Falnama manuscripts, whose popularity spread in the 17th century.