Persian translation of a treatise on geometry, the
Ashkāl al-ta’sīs(أشكال التأسيس) by Shams al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Ashraf al-Ḥusaynī al-Samarqandī (شمس الدين محمد بن أشرف الحسيني السمرقندي, d. 1302; see f. 118v, line 7). The translation was made by Maḥmūd ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn Qiwām al-Qāḍī al-Wālishtānī known as Maḥmūd al-Harawī al-Hay’awī (محمود بن محمد بن محمد بن قوام القاضي الوالشتاني known as محمود الهروي الهيئوي, fl. c. 1435; see ff. 118r, lines 16-17), and dedicated to Jamāl al-Dīn Sulṭān Ḥusayn (جمال الدين سلطان حسين; see f. 119r, lines 4-6).All thirty-five propositions of the
Ashkāl al-ta’sīsare commented upon, but the copy is defective at the end, finishing abruptly in proposition thirty-five.The text is followed by notes in Arabic on geometrical terminology (f. 134r) and a bio-bibliographical note in Arabic on al-Sharīf ‘Alī ibn Muḥammad al-Jurjānī (d. 1413; f. 135r).Begins (f. 117v, line 2):حمد بی حد وثنأ بی منتها وسپاس بى قياس كه قدم شهوار ...Ends (f. 133v, lines 16-17):سطح ح ط متساوي سطح ح ع است چنانچه در لد گذشت وسطح ح عمثل سطح ح ر است چه متمان (؟) متساويا ٮٮد (؟) سطح ح ط متساوي سطح حر باشد (؟) سطحFf. 117v-133v
Arabic version of the
Conics(Κωνικά; كتاب المخروطات) by Apollonius of Perga (Ἀπολλώνιος; أبلونيوس; fl ca 200 BC). Originally in eight books, only Books 1 to 4 survive in the original Greek; Books 1 to 7 are preserved in Arabic. The edition is called
Taḥrīr makhrūṭāt(تحرير مخروطات), indicating that this is the edition (تحرير) by Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (d. 1274; see f. 181, line 5 and Sezgin,
Geschichte des arabischen Schrifttums, vol. 5, p. 141), based on the translation made for the Banū Mūsá (fl. 9th century; see f. 42r, line 9).This copy was completed in Ramaḍān 1198/July-August 1784 (see colophon on f. 204v, transcribed below), probably for Warren Hastings, Governor-General of Bengal from 1772-1785. The script, ornamentation and binding of the volume indicate that it is part of a set comprising manuscripts IO Islamic 923 and IO Islamic 1249.Contents:المقالة الأولى (Book 1; ff. 1v-42r);المقالة الثانية (Book 2; ff. 42r-67v);المقالة الثالثة (Book 3; ff. 67v-104v);المقالة الرابعة (Book 4; ff. 104v-121v);المقالة الخامسة (Book 5; ff. 121v-159v);المقالة السادسة (Book 6; ff. 159v-181v);المقالة السابعة (Book 7; ff. 181v-204v).The diagrams referred to in the text are found on fold outs placed near the end of each book (ff. 41r, 66r, 103r, 120r, 158r, 180r and 196r).There is an unfoliated blank leaf between ff. 195 and 196, and the text resumes with a basmallah on f. 197r after the diagrams on f. 196r, both of which features give the appearance that a new book begins on f. 197r. Since, however, there is no colophon at the end of the text on f. 195v and the colophon on fol. 204v (transcribed below) indicates the end of the Conics, the text on ff. 197r-204v is either a continuation of Book 7, basmallah notwithstanding, or a postscript.The colophon on f. 204v is followed by further geometrical proposition by the hand of the copyist. Its relation to the rest of the text is unclear.Between front papers i and ii are a fragment of the spine and loose leaf of paper bearing a brief note in Persian.Begins (f. 1v, lines 1-2):المقالة الأولى من كتاب أبلونيوس في المخروطات ستون شكلًاالخط الواصل من رأس المخروط وأيته نقط على بسيطه يقع على بسيطEnds (f. 204v, lines 1-2):مربعهما أعظم من فصل ما بين مربعي رح ومنتصبه ومبين أيضًا أن فصل ما بين مربعيي ط ومنتصبه أعظم من فصل ما بين مربعي ث خ ومنتصبه ...Colophon (f. 204v, lines 2-3):... تم المخروطات يست (؟) ويكم (؟)رمضان المبارك سنة 1198 هجري مقدسCodex; ff. vi+205+viii; one loose leaf at frontMaterial: PaperDimensions: 216 x 136 mm leaf [125 x 80 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil; there is an unfoliated leaf between ff. 195 and 196, so although the last foliated leaf is numbered 204, there are in fact 205 foliosRuling:
Misṭarah; 11 lines per page; vertical spacing 9 lines per 10 cmScript:
Nasta‘līqInk: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings in redDecoration: Every opening and every page has a border in gold, black and red ink; the first opening (ff. 1v-2r) is extensively illuminated in gold, red, green and blueBinding: Hybrid binding with European and Islamic-style features; gilt tooled; leather doublureCondition: Excellent condition; book block re-sewn, boards reattached and spine replacedMarginalia: Very few and all appear to be by the copyistSeals: Ff. 1r and 204v
Treatise on the hydraulic and pneumatic machinery of water-clocks with thirteen diagrams, attributed to Archimedes (Ἀρχιμήδης; أرشميدس; fl. 3rd century BC). The title is given wrongly as كتاب أرشميدش في عمل السكامات (
Kitāb Arshimīdash fī ‘amal al-sakāmāt; f. 2v, line 1); the final word should read البنكامات (
al-binkāmāt, 'water-clocks'). The treatise is a compilation material from Greek, Byzantine, Persian and Arabic sources, and some sections may in fact be derived from Archimedes.Begins (f. 2v, lines 3-6):إذا أردت ذلك فاعمد إلى نحاس فاتخذ منه خزانةللماء (!) يكون ارتفاعها ثلثة أشبار في شبرين وليكنمدورة مستويه مهتدمة جيدة اللحام وليكن لهاقوائم ...Ends (f. 21r, lines 7-11):... فنركب القمع في طرف الأنبوب من خارج ونصبالماء حتى يبلغ المقدار الذي يراد منها الذي وصفناه فيماتقدم من عملها إن شاء الله وقد يستخرج من هذه الآلة آلاتكبيرة فافهم ما وصفناه ولا قوة إلا بالله ثم ما أردنا منذلك وبالله التوفيق ...The text is accomapied by thirteen diagrams with captions in Persian.Diagrams:Top section of water-clock, showing a man's head whose eyes change colour on the hour a bird's head that drops balls onto a cymbal, and the mechanisms that drive these devices (f. 2r);Pipes, float and float chamber (f. 5r);Pipe out of which water enters the sump (f. 5v);Semi-circular plate indicating the twelve signs of the zodiac, and pipe with division marker and tap (f. 6v);A device found in a previous diagram (f. 8v);Drum container, water container, and water-sump container of a water-clock (f. 9r)Top section of a water-clock, showing a woman's head flanked by columns marked to indicated the 24 hours of the day (f. 11r);Automata of an executioner and fettered prisioners (f. 12v);Automaton of an executioner on horseback (f. 14v);Statues of men that rise and fall on rods to indicate the hours of the day inscribed on columns, and the mechanism that drives them (f. 16r);Mechanical snakes that emerge from holes at the foot of a mountain on the hour and the mechanism that drives them (f. 17r);A tree containing birds which emit cries on the hour when the snakes on folio 17r emerge from their holes, and the mechanism that drives them (f. 19r);Flautist automaton (f. 20v).Ff. 2r-21r
Two technical treatises on the design and construction of hydraulic machines.Contents:1) Archimedes (أرشميدس),
Kitāb Arshimīdas fī al-binkāmāt(كتاب أرشميدس في البنكامات; ff. 2r-21r);2) Apollonius the carpenter and geometer (أبلنيوس النجار الهندسي),
Ṣan‘at al-zāmir(صنعة الزامر; ff. 21r-25v).Codex; ff. i+25+iiMaterial: PaperDimensions: 193 x 136 mm leaf [121 x 56 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencilRuling:
Misṭarah; 18 lines per page; vertical spacing 15 lines per 10 cmScript:
NaskhInk: Black ink, with rubricated titles and diagrams in red and blackDecoration: Diagrams on ff. 2r, 11r, 12v and 14v beautifully paintedBinding: British Museum bindingCondition: Waterstains, wormholes, foxing, grime, etcMarginalia: 1 marginal correction (f. 8v) by main scribeSeals: f. 2r
Abstract: Treatise on Imāmī fiqh translated into Persian (see fol. 1b, l. 7), comprising 18 parts, from Kitāb al-ṭahārah to Kitāb al-qiṣaṣ.Binding note: Upper and lower covers made of brown leather over paper pasteboard. Leather doublure. The spine and the edges of the covers have been repaired.Ms. codex.Title from colophon (fol. 161b).23 lines per page. Written in black ink with use of red. Glazed dark cream paper with laid lines visible. Some leaves apparently wanting between fol. 8 and 9. Some leaves are mended (see fol. 1 and 2). Marginal notes. Inscriptions on fol. 1a. Seals on fol. 1a and 161b.Copied in 977 (colophon, fol. 161bisb).Incipit: الحمد لله العليّ الذّي اجتبى جيبة المجتبي واصطفى صفيه المصطفى ... وبعد پوشيده نماند كه بنابر اشارت واجب الطاعةExplicit: واكر قاتل ان متعدد باشند لازم شود بر هر يک کفاره کامل
Tintas negra y rojaIncipit:ن والقلم وما يسطرون. [بسملة]Explicit: وحلا انن حكومت ران وزامرت وحمايتدر يمCopista: Un copista desconocido.Características especiales: Se indican los nombres de los líderes biografiados en tinta roja enmarcados en negro.Ilustración: Decoración con motivo floral en oro, rojo, verde y azul al comienzo, en fol. 1v.Ilustraciones: Círculos dorados marcando divisiones de texto. Texto enmarcado en rectángulo dorado y rojo en cada página.Tipo de cuaderno: Cuadernos alternos de 4 y 6 bifolios.Deterioros generales: Bien conservadoH. en blanco: NoH. dañadas, mutiladas, sueltas: NoH. faltan o añadidas: NoFoliación: Sin foliación original. Se ha foliado a lápiz en el margen superior izquierdo del recto.Reclamos: En el verso de todos los folios.Sign. cuad.: No.Pautado: No se apreciaFiligrana: Sí.Anotaciones: Fol. 89v: “Donativo del ministro Beigbeder, 2-3-1940” sello azul de la escuela de estudios árabes.Signatura antigua: RESC/1021Biografías de líderes famosos. Introducción (مقدمة) en fols. 4v a 6r.Encuadernado en cartera de piel marrón sobre cartón con medallón central grabado y recuadro en dorado.
Abstract: Illustrated Persian manuscript on magic and astrology, including a book of spells describing incantation and talismans, and 56 painted illustrations.Binding note: Blind stamped and tooled red leather.Ms. codex.Title from end of text (written with tāʾ marbūtah).Physical description: 11 lines per page ; written in medium small nastaʻlīq in black ink. Arabic written in naskh. From fol. 50b on: written in nastaʻlīq in purple ink. Wove paper with embossed seal with inscription in Cyrillic on a few leaves. Annotations in English on the margins of the first leaves. Picture representing a young man placed at the end of the copy.56 illustrations in watercolor representing the signs of the Zodiac, demons linked to these signs, constellations, birth of stars, and archangels such as Mikāʾīl and Jibrāʾīl.Origin: According to note on fol. 1a, copied in Iṣfahān, Shaʻbān 1324 H. Sept.-Oct. 1906 by ʻAlī Muḥammad ibn Jaʻfar Abū al-Ḥasan al-Nāʾinī(?) al-Muṣāḥib. At the end of several texts accompanying the illustrations is the name Raṣṣād(?) B̄āshī, son of the late Jaʻfar, with dates ranging from 1330 to 1339 H. 1911 to 1921.Incipit: بسم ... بكير از زير قدم او يكمشت خاك واين جعارا هفت بخواند ... بسم ... اللهم اله السموات والارض اعجل اعجل اعجل ارجع ارجع ارجع حب الخير
Abstract: First volume of an anti-Christian polemic written by a convert to Islam who emigrated to Iran during the reign of Safavid Shāh Sultān Ḥusayn (r. 1694-1722). The text was originally written in a European language then translated by the author into Persian. The complete work is supposed to consist of four volumes; however, only the first volume appears to be extant (Āghā Buzurg, XXV, 179).Binding note: Limp brown leather with tooled fillets; spine reinforced with cloth.Ms. codex.Title from fol. 1b.Physical description: 13-26 lines per page; written in shikastah in black on modern paper. Fol. 90a-95b written in purple ink; fol. 107-108 on lined paper. Rubrication in purple; catchwords on most pages. A few marginal notes. Paginated in Arabic script beginning on fol. 1a. fol. 97b blank, but no lacuna in text. Inserts between fol. 54-55, 105-106. Some leaves detached and edges of paper dog-eared.Origin: Copy completed 16 Shaʻbān 1346 H. 8 February 1928.Incipit: سپاس بىقىاس صانع بى نظىر را سزاوار است که گلستانجهان از آفتاب سنع آورده و بوستان فلک از اظهار موضوعات درىاى وجودش قطره ىست
Abstract: Collection of two treatises on astronomy and astrology.Binding note: Dark brown leather over cardboards. Blind-tooled border.Contents: 1. fol. 2b-141a : Kifāyat al-taʻlīm dar ṣināʻat-i tanjīm / Muḥammad ibn Masʻūd al-Ghaznawī.Contents: 2. fol. 142b-181b : Kitāb-i S̲amarah-ʾi Baṭlamiyūs dar aḥkām-i nujūm / Muḥammad ibn Masʻūd al-Ghaznawī?.Ms. codex.Title supplied by cataloger, from the title of the first text in the collection.Physical description: European paper with watermark. Fol. 1 and 182 are later additions.Origin: According to colophons, copied in Shaʻbān 1232 June-July 1817 (fol. 141a, 181b)
Abstract: Treatise on medicine in two parts (see description of contents in the preamble of the text, fol. 3a-4b), also known as "Kifāyah-i Manṣūrī". The text is dedicated to Sulṭān Mujāhid al-Dīn Zayn al-ʻĀbidīn, i.e. Zayn al-ʻĀbidīn al-Muẓẓafarī, ruler of Fars, 786-789/1384-1387, according to the Mashhad catalogue. Rieu suggests that the dedicatee is rather Zayn al-ʻĀbidīn of Kashmīr, 823-875/1420-1470. There is no evidence however that the laqab of the latter is Mujāhid al-Dīn (Storey, C. Persian Literature).Binding note: Half bound in paper and purple cloth.Ms. codex.Title from inscription on the pastedown of the upper cover.Physical description: 17 lines per page. Written in medium small nastaʻlīq in black ink with use of red. Thin laid paper ; frame-ruled. Stained with water ; insect damage.Chiefly quaternions ; catchword on the verso of each leaf.Origin: The copy is not dated. The paper and the script suggest the 19th cent.Incipit: يا فتاح رب يسر وتمم بالخير بسم ... شكر وسپاس مر خالقي را كه در خلقت انساني دقايق حكمت او بي پايانستExplicit: با عسل بر ذكر طلا كنند همين عمل كند والله اعلم بالصواب تمام شد
Binding: Splendid binding.Fihrist: Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate WorldContents note: Folio 2b contains the minuscule signature of Rūzbihān the Illuminator على يد العبد روزبهان المذهب.Decoration: Two richly coloured pictures at the beginning; the first two pages of the text most luxuriously adorned in blue and gold; all the headings throughout beautifully illuminated.Hand: Very small, distinct, and clear Nastaʻlīq.Record origin: Manuscript description based on: Beeston, A. F. L. (Alfred Felix Landon); Ethé, Hermann, 1844-1917.; Sachau, Eduard, 1845-1930; Catalogue of the Persian, Turkish, Hindûstânî, and Pushtû manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford; at the Clarendon Press 1889-1953.
Abstract: Treatise on Arabic lexicography based on words of the Qurʼān. According to the beginning of the text, in 27 books (kitāb), arranged according to the first and last letters of a word. Incomplete at beginning and end.Binding note: Black leather (peeling) with blind tooling and stamping. Red-dyed paper pastedowns.Ms. codex.Title from spine label (horizontal).Physical description: 23 lines to the page. Written in medium small naskh in black ink with use of red. The script gets larger towards the end of the copy, and tends towards nastaʻlīq. European paper with watermark.Inscription in Arabic numerals on a handmade label pasted on the upper cover: "326" (repeated in Western numerals on fol.1a).Beginning as extant: نسخه مسمى بكنز اللغات وبتوفيق قادر وهاب مرتبت بترتيب حروف ... اكنون بدانكه پيش از شروع در مقصود لا بد است از دانستن مقدمات چند اول انكه درين كتاب بقدر الوسعEnd as extant : ميخواند يغز وغزا ميكند يتموOther text on the margin on a similar topic (also incomplete at the beginning), with first bāb extant: باب الالف مع الالف انى واني واني ساعت والجمع انا انّا دريافتن كقوله تعالى غير ناظرين اناه
Abstract: Treatise on the drawing of magical squares (with numbers, letters, words, etc.) in three sections (lawḥ). This text is also attributed to Sharaf al-Dīn ʻAlī al-Yazdī (d. 858/1454).Binding note: Red leather over paper boards. Blind-stamped center and corner-pieces, with an outer frame consisting of two double-fillets.Ms. codex.Title from beginning of text (fol. 2a, l. 13).The name of the author appears at the beginning of the text (fol. 2a, l. 7) and in several squares, the latter in the form "ʻamal Yaʻqūb ibn Muḥammad ibn ʻAlī" or "ʻamal Yaʻqūb ibn Muḥammad al-Ṭāʼūsī". See fol. 59a, 66a, 67b, 70a.Physical description: 21 lines per page. Written in nastaʻlīq in black ink with use of red, with squares, tables and circles in red, black and yellow ink. A few tables are left blank. The text is framed within a gold, black and red border, with an outer frame made of a single blue fillet. Simple illuminated headpieces in red and gold on fol. 1b, 35b and 60b. Laid paper ; glossy.Incipit: حمدى بر وفق اعداد نا متناهى مقرون تسبيح افراد وازواج مكوّنات
Binding: Binding with flowers and arabesques, rich in gold.Fihrist: Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate WorldContents: Ḥusayn ibn Ismāʻīl Gāzurgāhī, Majālis al-ʻushshāq (ff. 1a-197a).Decoration: Illustrated with 74 miniature paintings.Hand: Excellent Nastaʻlīq.Record origin: Manuscript description based on: Beeston, A. F. L. (Alfred Felix Landon); Ethé, Hermann, 1844-1917; Sachau, Eduard, 1845-1930; Catalogue of the Persian, Turkish, Hindûstânî, and Pushtû manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford; at the Clarendon Press 1889-1953.
Abstract: "Anthology of letters and short textsAbstract: concerning historical events and important figures related to IranAbstract: and Khurasān in particular. The text starts with short notes mentioning events in the history of Iran from 992 to 1006 H. (fol. 1a-b)Abstract: followed by copies of lettersAbstract: and other short texts attributed to several important figures. The text also contains what appears to be letter models or samplesAbstract: some attributed to Mīr Rūḥ Allāh (fol. 30a)Abstract: and a Fatḥnāmah-i Khurāsān (fol. 5b). On fol. 402bAbstract: beginning of a text by ʻAbd al-Razzāq ibn Isḥāq al-Samarqandī (d. 887/1482; the author's name appears on fol. 403a)Abstract: incomplete at end. On fol. 413a-418b are several short texts written by another handAbstract: including two Fatḥnāmah and a letter."Binding note: Bound in dark red leather, with flap. The covers and flap have an outer frame consisting of a guilloche outlined by fillets in gold (faded on the covers). Brown leather doublure with a frame consisting of a single fillet.Ms. codex.Title from tail of text block.Physical description: 23 lines per page. Written in medium small nastaʻlīq in black ink with use of red. Dark cream laid paper; glossy.Origin: The copy is not dated.Incipit (fol. 1a): 992 در ين سال نواب سلطان حمزه ميرزا در قزوين قشلاق فرمودند ... 2أٔ صورة رقعة بخط مرحوم ميرزاكانى كه به ولد شهريارى كاشى نوشته دو كلمه كه حضرتIncipit (fol. 402b): بسم ... فتح صحايف انشا وابداع وشرح لطايف املا واختراع حمد وثناى بنشى بر كمال كه بر قلم زرين مثال ... 403أ ... وبعد چنين كويد فقير حقير طالب مكارم اخلاق عبد الرزاق بن اسحق السمرقندى باب الله عليهما كه چون حكمت كامله الهى ورحمت شامله نا متناهى اقتضا فرمود
Fihrist: Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate WorldHand: Nastaʻlīq.Record origin: Manuscript description based on: Beeston, A. F. L. (Alfred Felix Landon); Ethé, Hermann, 1844-1917.; Sachau, Eduard, 1845-1930; Catalogue of the Persian, Turkish, Hindûstânî, and Pushtû manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford; at the Clarendon Press 1889-1953
Abstract: Apparently autograph copy of a treatise in prose and verses on magic using numerals, astrology and the invocation of the names of God, comprising an introduction, seven chapters (bāb) and a conclusion (see description of content, fol. 7a). Incomplete at the beginning.Binding note: Upper and lower covers and envelope flap made of red leather over paper pasteboards. The upper and lower covers are similarly blind-tooled with a central mandorla and an outer frame made of several fillets, with small round stamps on the inner edge. The envelope flap has the same outer frame with a mandorla on its point. Doublure made of blue and yellow decorated paper.Contents: Bāb 1 : Dar ṭarīq waḍʻ aʻdād fard al-fard in table of contents, fol. 7a: Dar ṭarīq waḍʻ fard al-fard.Contents: Bāb 2 : Dar ṭarīq waḍʻ zawj al-zawj in table of contents: Dar ṭarīq zawj al-zawj.Contents: Bāb 3 : Dar ṭarīq waḍʻ zawj al-fard in table of contents: Dar ṭarīq zawj al-fard.Contents: Bāb 4 : Dar kayfīyat-i waḍʻ-i asmā dar alwāḥ bi-ṭarīq muḍmar kah ānrā taksīr-i kabīr khvānan In table of contents: ... dar ashkāl bi-ṭarīq ....Contents: Bāb 5 : Dar kayfiyat-i taksīr-i saghīr.Contents: Bāb 6 : Dar kayfiyat-i waḍʻ-i asmā dar ashkāl bi-ṭarīq muẓhar kah ānrā dhū al-kitābah khvānand.Contents: Bāb 7 : Dar sharf-i kawākib wa-sharḥ wa-kayfīyat-i aʻmāl-i ān.Ms. codex.Title from beginning of text (fol. 7a, l. 3).For the date 608 H. associated with the author, see fol. 1a, l. 2-3. al-Būnī (Aḥmad ibn ʻAlī, d. 622/1225) is quoted in the text. However Ḥajjī Khalīfah mentions a Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Ilyās al-Ḥanafī, fl. 912/1506 or 7 (ed. Fluegel, vol. III, p. 190, no. 4872).15 lines per page. Poetry in two columns. Written in medium small naskh in black ink with use of red. Paper with laid lines visible (frame-ruled, 102 mm.). Contains magic squares and tables. A few marginal notes. Foliation using Arabic numerals (starts with "4" on fol. 2a). On fol. 175b : several inscriptions and magical tables. On a piece of paper pasted on the lower cover, inscription in Arabic: "(al-jafr al-ḥarfī) Miftāḥ al-maqāṣid bi-al-Fārisīyah qaṭʻ al-thaman al-kabīr al-masṭarah 15 khaṭṭ Fārisī katabahu Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ilyās sanah 609 (909 lā 609)".On the pastedown of the upper cover, small label with the inscription "12" in Arabic numerals ; label with the inscription: "ELS no. next line, in Arabic characters Miftāḥ al-maqāṣid next line, in Arabic characters fārisī next line, in Western numerals 909". Same label on the pastedown of the lower cover, adding "ELS no. 110".Copied by the author Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad Ibn Ilyās, on 4 Shawwāl 609 (colophon, fol. 175a). According to a label on the pastedown of the upper cover and a note on a paper pasted on the lower cover, this should be read as 909. This later date appears to be more likely.Incipit: كه مدّت بيست(؟) سال در اقطار عالم مسافرت كردم وبخدمت بسياري از كمال(؟) اولياExplicit: (الهى تا دانى بنرياد برس(؟
A Persian version of Book One of the
Elements(Στοιχεῖα; كتاب أقليدس [في الأصول]) by the mathematician Euclid of Alexandria (Εὐκλείδης; أقليدس; fl. 300 BC). The diagrams are collected on three fold outs (ff. 74r, 89r and 95r).Begins (f. 71v, lines 1-2:مقالهٔ اولى از كتاب اقليدس چهل وهفت شكل است ودر نسخهٔ ثابتچهل وهشت زيادهٔ يك شكل و ان شكل 2 است عادت چنان رفته استEnds (f. 94v, lines 6-7)... هشتم پس از نير قايمهٔ با شدوهسمين بود مراد ماff. 71v-95r
The volume comprises two manuscripts. The first (ff. 3-112) was the notebook of the Qudrat Allāh al-Marandī al-Ādharī, who copied into it thirteen alchmical texts between 919 AH/AD 1513 and 925 AH/AD 1519, first at Fez and then Damascus (see colophons on ff. 11r, 14r, 57r and 66r). The second (ff. 113r-159v) was copied in the 18th century, beginning with ff. 113r-158r copied in 1177 AH/AD 1764 by Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Mawṣūlī in Algiers (see colophon on f. 158v).The volume contains 16 alchemical texts:Anonymous,
Risālah nāfi‘ah fī ghāyat al-naf‘ wa-l-nafāsah lam yu‘raf muṣannifuhā(رسالة نافعة في غاية النفع والنفاسة لم يعرف مصنّفها) (ff. 3r-11r);Khālid ibn Yazīd al-Umawī (خالد بن يزيد الأموي),
Risālah li-Abī Hishām al-Amīr Khālid(رسالة لأبي هشام الأمير خالد ) (ff. 11v-14r);al-Ṣafadī, Khalīl ibn Aybak (الصفدي، خليل بن أيبك), Extract from
Kitāb al-Ghayth al-musjam fī sharḥ Lāmīyat al-ʿAjam(كتاب الغيث المسجم في شرح لامية العجم) (f. 14r);al-Ṭuġrāʾī, al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī (الطغرائي، الحسين بن علي),
Kitāb tarākīb al-anwār(كتاب تراكيب الأنوار) (ff. 14v-57r);Democritus (ذومقراطيس), Untitled alchemical treatise (ff. 57v-66r);Jābir ibn Ḥayyān (جابر بن حيان),
Ayn fuṣūl az ba‘z̤ kutub ustaẕ Jābir(اين فصول از بعض كتب أستاذ كبير جابر ) (ff.66v-67v);al-Rāzī, Fakhr al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar (الرازي، فخر الدين محمد بن عمر), Selections from
Kitāb al-Mulakhkhaṣ(كتاب الملخص) concerning physics (ff. 67v-76b);al-Rāzī, Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakarīyā (الرازي، أبو بكر محمد بن زكريا), Selections from al-Rāzī’s
al-Kutub al-Ithná ‘asharah(الكتب الإثنى عشرة) (ff. 77r-91v);Ibn Waḥshīyah, Aḥmad ibn ‘Alī (ابن وحشية، أحمد بن علي), Extracts from
Kitāb fī Maʿrifat al-ḥajar(كتاب في معرفة الحجر) (ff. 91b-96b);Anonymous, Excerpts from a commentary on the poem of ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. Tammām al-ʿIrāqī (عبد العزيز ابن تمام العراقي) (ff. 96v-98r);Anonymous, Excerpts from a commentary on the alchemical poem
Shudhūr al-dhahab(شذور الذهب) (ff. 98r- 110v);al-Sayyid al-Sharīf al-Bukhārī al-Naqshabandī (السيد الشريف البخاري النقشبندي), Excerpts from the
Risālah fī al-Ṣināʿah al-falsafīyah(رسالة في الصناعة الفلسفية) (ff. 111r-112r);Anonymous, Cancelled page of Persian alchemical poetry (f. 112v);al-Maṣmūdī, Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad (المصمودي، محمد بن أحمد),
Kitāb al-Wāfī fī al-Tadbīr al-kāfī(كتاب الوافي في التدبير الكافي) (ff. 113r-158r);Anonymous, Fragment of a treatise on practical chemistry (f. 159r);Anonymous, Instructions for producing perfumes (f. 159v).Codex; ff. 159+iMaterial: PaperDimensions: 215 x 150 mm leaf [168 x 112 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil; Arabic foliation in the purple crayon typical of Lebanese bookdealers of the 19th centuryRuling:
Misṭarah; 19 lines per page; vertical spacing 11 lines per 10 cm (ff. 113r-158v: 29 lines per page; vertical spacing 17 lines per 10 cm)Script:
Naskhwith
nasta‘līqtendencies and some titles in
thuluth(ff. 113r-158v:
naskh)Scribes: Qudrat Allāh al-Marandī al-Ādharī (ff. 3r-112v) and Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Mawṣilī (ff. 113r-158v)Ink: Black ink, with rubricated, yellow and green headings and overlinings in red (ff. 113r-158v: black)Binding: British Museum bindingCondition: Some worm damage, foxing, and tears towards the fore edge. Folios 19, 21 and 24 have been replaced.Marginalia: Extensive marginal corrections, conjectures, glosses in Arabic and Persian and other evidence of collation and textual study (ff. 113r-158v: very few)
A collection of short extracts of poetry and prose in Perisan and Arabic on various topics related to the natural sciences. The extracts are attributed to such authorities and works as Sharaf al-Dīn ‘Alī Yazdī (شرف الدين علي يزدي, d. 1454; f. 5r), the
Optica(كتاب المناظر) of Euclid of Alexandria (Εὐκλείδης; أقليدس; fl. 300 BC; f. 6r, top); the
Majma‘ al-bayān(مجمع البيان) of Abū ‘Alī Faḍl ibn Ḥasan al-Ṭabarsī (أبو علي فضل بن حسن الطبرسي, d. 1153; f. 6r, lower left).The text is arranged in irregular columns and blocks on the pages, written horizontally, vertically and diagonally.Begins (f. 4v, right column, lines 1-2):سمن برى كه سيم حرف تام او عدويتكه مال آن عدد اور است اول وثانىEnds (f. 6r, left column, 10-12):فهو قوله التعالى ولا الليل سابق النهارأي قد سبقه النهار قالهالطبرسي في مجمعه 5Ff. 4v-6r
Folio 12v contains six lines of unpointed Arabic text entitled
'On ascertaining the distance between countries (في معرفة قدر المسافة بين البلدين)', and a diagram showing the orbit of the moon around the earth.Folio 13r contains a short and mostly unpointed Persian text attributed to Naṣīr al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ṭūsī's (نصير الدين محمد بن محمد الطوسي; d. 1274), and a diagram.Ff. 12v-13r
Abstract: Leaf from the Manāfiʻ al-ḥayawān, with a miniature depicting two crows, one of which stands on a rock, and a fruiting tree in the background.Ms. leaf.Title from heading.Physical description: 13 lines per page; written in medium naskh in black on tan Arabic paper. Text framed in double red lines. Rubrication and catchwords. Heading in large, dark blue Kufic script. Lower outer corner repaired. On verso is a miniature measuring 110 x 96 mm.Origin: According to Moghadam, the leaf is from the late 13th century; likely from Iran.
Binding: Lacquered boards with floral decoration.Fihrist: Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate WorldDecoration: Carpet page, decorative borders, miniatures.Dimensions: 10 × 5⅝ in.Hand: Very distinct Nastaʻlīq.Record origin: Manuscript description based on: Beeston, A. F. L. (Alfred Felix Landon); Ethé, Hermann, 1844-1917; Sachau, Eduard, 1845-1930; Catalogue of the Persian, Turkish, Hindûstânî, and Pushtû manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford; at the Clarendon Press 1889-1953.
Compendium of short texts, extracts and notes on scientific and philosophical subjects, compiled by Aḥmad ibn Sulaymān Ghūjārātī (أحمد بن سليمان غوجاراتي; d. 1681), and completed in Dhū al-ḥijjah 1134/September-October 1722 (see note on f. 5r).The manuscript was later owned by the compiler's grandson, Muḥammad Riḍā ibn Ghulām Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Sulaymān (محمد رضا ابن غلام محمد بن أحمد بن سليمان), at Surat, who added ten lines of verse on 18 Ramaḍān 1141/17 April 1729 (see f. 250v, lines 11-14).Amongst the more lengthy and readily indentifiable contents are the following:(1) Extract from Quṭb al-Dīn al-Shīrāzī (قطب الدين الشيرازي),
Kitāb Nuzhat al-qulūb(كتاب نزهة القلوب) [Arabic] (f. 1v);(2) Extract from
Rabī‘ al-abrār(ربيع الأبرار) by al-Zamakhsharī (الزمخشري) [Arabic] (ff. 2r-2v);(3) Method for
istikhārah(استخارة) prayer [Persian] (f. 3v);(4) Collection of extracts, notes and riddles on various subjects [Persian and Arabic] (ff. 5v-19r);(5) Notes on the following text and other subjects [Persian and Arabic] (ff. 23v-25v);(6) al-Bīrūnī (البيروني),
Maqālah fī rāshīkāt al-hind(مقالة في راشيكات الهند) (ff. 26r-35v);(7) Abū Ja‘far al-Khāzin (أبو جعفرالخازن),
Burhān ākhar ‘alá al-shakl al-sābi‘ min kitāb Banī Mūsá(برهان آخر على الشكل السابع من كتاب بني موسى) [Arabic] (ff. 36r-39r);(8) Extracts from
Kitāb ṣanf fī fann al-rājī wa-laṭā’ifihi(كتاب صنف في فن الراجي ولطائفه),
Ta’rīkh Makkah(تأريخ مكّة) by Quṭb al-Khafī (قطب الخفي), and
Musurgia universalis(كتاب في الموسيقى; Rome: 1650) by Athanasius Kircher (أتهانازيوس كيرﭼروس الفرنكي) [Arabic and Persian] (ff. 39v-45b);(9) Extract from a treatise on trigonometry [Arabic] (ff. 46v-49r);(10) Banū Mūsá (بنو موسى),
al-Shakl al-sādis ‘ashr min Kitāb ma‘rifat misāḥat al-ashkāl al-basīṭah wa-al-kurīyah(الشكل السادس عشر من كتاب معرفة مساحة الأشكال البسيطة والكرية) [Arabic] (ff. 50r-52v);(11) Extracts on various geometrical subjects including a passage from the
De sphaera et cylindro(Περὶ σφαίρας καὶ κυλίνδρου; كتاب الكرة والأسطوانة) by Archimedes (أرشميدس), methods for determining the direction of the qiblah at Akbārābād and Burhānpūr, and an extract entitled
al-Risālah lil-kurah al-mutaḥarikah bi-ḥarikah dā’imah(الرسالة للكرة [!] المتحركة بحركة دائمة; perhaps
De sphaera quae movertur[Περὶ κινουμένης σφαίρας; كتاب الكرة المتحركة] by Autolycus of Pitane [Αὐτόλυκος ὁ Πιταναῖος; أوطولوقس]) [Arabic and Persian] (ff. 53r-57v);(12) Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (نصير الدين الطوسي),
Fī bayān annahu lā yumkin an yajtama‘ min ‘adadayn murabba‘ayn fardayn‘adad murabba‘(في بيان أنه لا يمكن أن يجتمع من عددين مربعين فردين عدد مربع) [Arabic] (f. 58r);(13) Two riddles by Bahā’ al-Dīn al-‘Āmilī (بهاء الدين العاملي) [Arabic] (ff. 76v-81r);(14) Bahā’ al-Dīn al-‘Āmilī (بهاء الدين العاملي)
Tashrīḥ al-aflāk[Arabic] (ff. 113v-123r);(15) Ḥusayn ibn Ibrāhīm al-Tankābanī (حسين بن إبراهيم التنكاباني),
Risālah fī ithbāt ḥudūth al-‘ālam(رسالة في إثبات حدوث العالم) [Arabic] (ff. 125r-128r);(16) Yazīd ibn Mu‘āwīyah (يزيد ابن معاوية),
Qaṣīdah mīmīyah(قصيدة ميمية) [Arabic] (ff. 131r-131v and 146r);(17) Extract from the Fifth Treatise (رسالة) of the Ikhwān al-Ṣafā’ (إخوان الصفاء) on music [Arabic] (ff. 140v-142v);(18) Archimedes (أرشميدس),
Kitāb fī qismat shakl samāhu bil-sīṭumāshīyūn(كتاب في قسمة شكل سماه بالسيطماشيون) [Arabic] (ff. 143r-145r);(19) Treatise on
tawḥīd(توحيد) by Muḥammad Afḍal al-Dīn (محمد أفضل الدين) [defective at end; Arabic] (ff. 184r-191r);(20) Qusṭā ibn Lūqā (قسطا بن لوقا),
Maqālah fī al-burhān ‘alá ḥisāb al-khaṭā’ayn[Arabic] (مقالة في البرهان على حساب الخطائين) (ff. 191r-194r);(21) Extract from the
al-Muḥallá(المحلّى) by Ibn Ḥazm (ابن حزم) [Arabic] (ff. 225r-228v);(22) Extract from a work by Bahā’ al-Dīn al-‘Āmilī (بهاء الدين العاملي) concerning density [Arabic] (f. 233r);(23) A qaṣīdah by Khālid ibn Ṣawān Fayyāḍ (خالد بن صفوان فياض) known as
al-‘Arūs(العروس) [Arabic] (ff. 234r-241r);(24) Bahā’ al-Dīn al-‘Āmilī (بهاء الدين العاملي), the conclusion (خاتمة) from the
Khulāṣat al-ḥisāb(خلاصة الحساب) [Arabic] (ff. 249r-250r);(25) Ten lines of verse by Muḥammad Riḍā ibn Ghulām Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Sulaymān (محمد رضا ابن غلام محمد بن أحمد بن سليمان) [Arabic] (f. 250v).Codex; ff. ii+250+iMaterial: PaperDimensions: 195 x 130 mm leaf [135 x 85 mm written]Foliation: Eastern Arabic foliation in black ink; India Office foliation in Western Arabic numerals stamped in black inkRuling:
Misṭarah; average of 17 lines per page; vertical spacing 13 lines per 10 cmScript:
Naskh; the scribe is Aḥmad ibn Sulaymān Ghūjārātī (أحمد بن سليمان غوجاراتي)Ink: Black ink, with rubricated headings and occasional overlinings in redBinding: British Museum binding with leather from previous cover pasted to front and back of current bindingCondition: Very minor worm damageMarginalia: Numerous by hand of compiler