ʻAjāʼib al-makhlūqāt wa-gharāʼib al-mawjūdāt

Title:

ʻAjāʼib al-makhlūqāt wa-gharāʼib al-mawjūdāt
عجائب المخلوقات وغرائب الموجودات

Alternative title:

ʻAjāʼib al-makhlūqāt
عجائب المخلوقات

Creator:

Qazwīnī, Zakarīyā ibn Muḥammad
قزويني، زكريا بن محمد

Contributor:

Meyerhof, Max, former owner

Date:

17--?].

Description:

Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 822Origin: Lacks dated colophon ; likely of Northern Indian production, perhaps 18th century.Binding: Unbound gatherings once sewn in yellow thread, two stations (now mostly gone) ; scrap from a Turkish newspaper apparently once wrapped around spine ; in somewhat poor condition with tears and staining, lifting and losses of paper, etc. ; housed in wrapper and envelope for protection.Support: non-European (likely Persian or Indian) laid paper with roughly 8 laid lines per cm. (vertical or horizontal, varies, curving and sagging) and no obvious chain lines visible ; quite thin, crisp and transluscent though sturdy, dark cream in color, well-burnished ; losses, tears, staining, etc.Decoration: Illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān / sarlawḥ) at opening on p.2 consisting of rectangular band of swirling vegetal decoration with floral motifs in lavender, red and green on a gold ground, surmounted by rectangular piece with cartouches carrying the basmalah, etc. ("بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم رب يسر وتمم بالخير"), all surmounted by scalloped w-shaped piece filled with floral vegetal decorations in white, green, red, pink, etc. on grounds of dark blue and gold ; written area of incipit and facing page set off by interlinear gold bands (reminiscent of cloud-bands) and surrounded by frame in gold, red, blue and black rules ; elsewhere triple rule-border in red and blue with outermost blue rule defining margins ; keywords and headings rubricated, others overlined in red ; roughly 16 diagrams (see pp.18, 20-22, 134-135, 137-138, 142, 158-161) mainly executed in black and red or yellow ink ; roughly 25 illustrations or miniatures, none full-page (see pp.21-22, 46-48, 50-51, 58, 125-130, 164-168, 178) ; in p.78 lacuna left for illustration never supplied.Script: Nastaʻlīq ; careful Indian hand in a medium to bold line ; serifless, with marked effect of words descending to baseline, some elongation and contrasting thickness of horizontal strokes.Layout: Written mainly in 21 lines per page ; frame-ruled.Collation: IV+1 (9), IV-2 (15), IV (23), V (33), III (39), IV-1 (46), 4 IV(78), IV+1 (87), V (97) ; catchwords present ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization.Incipit: "العظمة لك والكبرياى جلالك اللهم يا قايم الذات ومفيض الخيرات واجب الوجود وواهب العقول ... اما بعد هميگويد اصغر العباد زكريا محمد بن محمود الكموي القزوينى ... که چون بحکم الهی مفارقت اهل و وطن اتفاق افتاد ..."Title supplied by cataloguer.Ms. codex.Fine though incomplete copy of a Persian rendering of al-Qazwīnī's (d.1283) famous cosmography ʻAjāʼib al-makhlūqāt wa-gharāʼib al-mawjūdāt, illustrated with roughly 25 miniatures and 16 diagrams.

Language:

Persian

Type (Narrower):

Manuscripts

Type (Broader):

Text

Subject:

Manuscripts, Persian
Science History Sources.
Geography, Arab Early works to 1800.
Cosmography Early works to 1800.

Geographic region:

Africa, North
Middle East
Spain
Islamic Empire

Extent:

97 leaves : paper ; 290 x 175 (218 x 103) mm.

Rights:

Public Domain

Format:

Book
Manuscript/Archive
Online
Print

Same as:

https://search.lib.umich.edu/catalog/record/006814099

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