Two medical treatises.Contents:(1) Ibn Abī Ṣādiq al-Nīsābūrī (ابن أبي صادق النيسابوري),
Sharḥ Fuṣūl Abuqrāṭ(شرح فصول أبقراط, ff. 2v-177r);(2) Avicenna (ابن سينا),
Kitāb fī-dafʿ al-maḍarr al-kullīyah li-l-abdān al-insānīyah(كتاب في دفع المضار الكلية للأبدان الإنسانية, ff. 178v-208v).Folios 2-9 and 208 are replacements added later.Codex; ff. i+208+iMaterial: Ff. 2-9 are Western laid paper with a 'Tre lune' watermark; ff. 10-207 are Eastern laid paper; f. 208 is Western laid paperDimensions: 244 x 135 mm leaf [170 x 90 mm written, written area different on ff. 2-9 and 208]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencilRuling: No ruling visible; 17 lines per page; vertical spacing 10 lines per 10 cm (different ruling on ff. 2-9 and 208)Script:
Naskh; the scribe is Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir Qurashī (شيخ عبد القادر قرشي, see f. 177r, lines 6-8)Ink: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings in redDecoration: NoneBinding: Red leather binding without flap, medallion and pendants gold-tooled, borders blind-tooledCondition: Tidemarks worse towards front of volume; ff. 135-208 mutilated and repaired worse towards back of volumeMarginalia: Very few (see f. 122r)Seal: f. 177v
The volume comprises three distinct manuscripts (ff. 1v-63r, 63v-67r and 68r-135r).Contents:(1) Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (نصير الدين الطوسي),
Taḥrīr al-Majisṭī(تحرير المجسطي ; ff. 1v-63r);(2) Menelaus of Alexandria (مانالاوس),
Fī ashkāl al-kurīyah(في أشكال الكرية; ff. 63v-67r);(3) Ulugh Beg (ألغ بيك),
Zīj-i Ulugh Beg(زيج ألغبيك; ff. 68r-135r).Codex; ff. v+135+4Material: PaperDimensions: 235 x 160 mm leaf [180 x 115 mm written ff. 1v-63r; entire writing surface used ff. 63v-67v; 180 x 132 mm written ff. 68v-135v]Foliation: British Library foliation in pencil; previous foliation in Arabic-Indic numerals, black ink, visible on some foliosRuling:
Misṭarah; 32 lines per page ff. 1v-63r, approximately 60 lines per page ff. 63v-67v, 33 lines per page ff. 68v-135v; vertical spacing 18 lines per 10 cm ff. 1v-63r, 27 lines per 10 cm ff. 63v-67v, 16 lines per 10 cm ff. 68v-135vScript:
Naskh; the scribe of Item 1 (ff. 1v-63r) is Ḥamzah ibn ‘Alī ibn Ḥamzah al-Qazwīnī al-Bayhaqī, known as Sa‘d al-Khurāsānī (حمزة بن على بن حمزة القزويني البيهقي المشهور بسعد الخراساني; see colophon on f. 62r)Ink: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings, diagrams and table borders in redBinding: India Office binding with guardsCondition: Badly worm eaten; all folios removed from quires, protected with silk and mounted on guards; one folios is missing after folio 32Marginalia: Numerous and mostly in hand of scribeSeals: Ff. 1r, 68r, 105r, 106r and 135v
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
The ʻAjā’ib al-makhlūqāt (عجائب المخلوقات) by Zakarīyā ibn Muḥammad Qazwīnī (زكريا بن محمد قزوینی) translated from Arabic into Persian at the request of Ibrāhīm ʻĀdil Shāh, ruler of Bijapur in Shaʻbān AH 954 (1547). The text is illustrated with 461 mid-seventeenth-century Deccani paintings and diagrams.The original translation (ff.1v-426v) has been supplemented (ff. 427r-463r) by an appendix written in a 19th-century hand, perhaps for Henry Miers Elliot, containing the following chapters omitted by the ʻĀdilshāhi translator and copied from a different, earlier, Persian translation (see Add. MS. 16739, Rieu, p. 462): races of men (f.427r), arts and sciences (f.436v), and the second species of the animal kingdom, or the Jinns (f.457v).The margins are extensively covered with explanatory works and glosses, some of which are described in a detailed list of contents (ff.1v-6r), completed on 17 Shavvāl, regnal year 4 of Aḥmad Shāh (8 September 1751). These correspond approximately to the marginal works included in IO Islamic 3243, described by Ethé in vol 1 of his
Catalogue of Persian manuscripts in the Library of the India Office(Oxford, 1903), no. 714.Begins (f.7v, lines 2-3):العظمة لک و الکبریاء لحلالک اللهم یا قایم الذات و مفیض الخیرات واجب الوجود و فايضالجود ...End of 1547 translation (f.426v, line 6):و الاتمام و الیه المرجع و الماب فی جمیع الامور و هو حسبنا و نعم الوکیلColophon (f. 426v, lines 7-12):و این اخر کلامست از ترجمه کتاب عجایب مخلوقات و غرایب موجودات بعون الله و منه و الحمد لله رب العالمین…و آله اجمعینEnd of supplement (f.464r, lines 17-19):فقال رسول الله صـ هذا شيطان يكلم الناس في الأوثان يقال له مسعر والله تعالى مخزيه فيمكثوا ثلثة أيام فإذا هتف من أعلى الجبل فقال صـ دونكم عفريت من الجن يقال له سمحج سميته عبد الله آمن من لي أخبروني أنه في طلبه منذ أيام فقال علي جزاه الله تعالى خيرًاIllustrations:f.26r: Diagram of the celestial spheres.f.27r: Diagram of the orbit of the moon.f.27v: The full moon represented by a haloed figure and a crab.f.28r: Phases of the moon.f.29r: Eclipse of the moon.f.31v: Sphere of Mercury.f.32r: Mercury (women and a man with a scroll).f.32v: Orbit of Venus.f.33r: Venus (woman playing a lute).f.33v: Orbit of the sun (incomplete diagram).f.35r: (above) Diagram of the eclipse of the sun; (below) The sun represented by a man with rays proceeding from his head, accompanied by two lions.f.37r: (above) Mars (man holding a sword and a severed head); (below) Jupiter (man holding a book and with angels beside him).f.38r: Saturn (six-armed man).f.38v: Diagram of the orbit of the Zodiac (damaged).f.40v: Ursa Minor (bear).f.41r: Ursa Major (bear).f.41v: Draco (dragon).f.42r: Cepheus (young man).f.42v: (above) Boötes (man holding a stick); (below) Corona Borealis (disk).f.43r: Hercules (man with a goad).f.43v: (above) Lyra (vulture); (below) Cygnus (hen).f.44r: Cassiopeia (woman on a throne).f.44v: Perseus (man holding a sword and a severed head).f.45r: Auriga (man holding a stick).f.45v: (above) Ophiucus (man holding a serpent); (below) Sagitta (arrow).f.46r: Aquila (eagle).f.46v: (above) Delphinus (dolphin); (below) Equleus (horses head).f.47r: Pegasus (winged demi-horse).f.47v: Andromeda (fettered figure).f.48r: (above) Equus Major (trotting horse); (below) Triangulum (triangle).f.48v: Aries (ram).f.49v: (above) Taurus (white demi-bull); (below) Gemini (twins).f.50r: Cancer (crab).f.50v: Leo (lion).f.51r: (above) Virgo (man cutting corn with a sickle); (below) Libra (woman holding scales).f.51v: Scorpio (scorpion).f.52r: Sagittarius (centaur holding a bow and arrow).f.52v: Capricorn (goat with a fish's tail).f.53r: (above) Aquarius (man holding a rope and water bottle); (below) Pisces (two fish).f.53v: Cetus (fish with a deers head).f.54r: Orion (man holding a sheathed sword).f.54v: Eridanus (serpent).f.55r: Lepus (hare).f.55v: Canis Major (dog).f.56r: (above) Canis Minor (dog); (below) Argo Navis (ship).f.56v: Hydra (snake).f.57r: (above) Crater (mans head); (below) Corvus (raven).f.57v: Centaurus (galloping centaur holding a trident).f.58r: (above) Leo (lion); (below) Ara (flaming brazier).f.58v: (above) Corona Australis (crown); (below) Piscis Australis (fish).ff.59a-70r: The lunar mansions represented by gold disks, 27 out of 28 shown (No. 27 is always omitted).f.72v: Angels which support God’s throne.f.73v: The angel, al-Rūḥ.f.74v: Israfil with his trumpet.f.76r: Jibrāʼīl.f.76v: Mikāʼīl.f.77r: Izrāʼīl.f.79v: (above) Cow-headed angels of the first heaven; (below) Eagle-shaped angels of the second heaven.f.80r: (above) Vulture-formed angels of the third heaven; (below) Angels of the fourth heaven with double-horses heads and birds claws.f.80v: (above) Houris of the fifth heaven; (below) Boys of the sixth heaven.f.81r: Men of the seventh heaven.f.82r: Recording angels with asses ears seated either side of a man.f.85r: Harut and Marut with asses ears, hanging upside-down.f.98r: Diagram of the months.f.118v: Diagram showing the position of the winds (unfinished).f.121v: Diagram of the reflection of the light (unfinished).f.123r: Aureole round the moon.f.123v: A rainbow.f.127v: Map of the oceans of the world (unfinished).f.129r: Winged cats of Sumatra.f.129v: (above) Muskdeer of Sumatra; (below) Apes of Sumatra.f.130r: Winged tree-dwellers of Sumatra.f.130v: Tree-dwellers of Ramni.f.131r: Rhinoceros of Ramni.f.131v: Waqwaq tree.f.132v: Bird (China Sea).f.133v: Serpent (China Sea).f.136r: Dog-headed people of the island al-Qasr.f.136v: Adam on Sarandib.f.137r: People of Jaba with their heads on their chests.f.137v: A dragon with an ox in its mouth on the Island of Tannin.f.138r: Horned-hare which the islanders gave to Alexander.f.138v: Human-headed fish (Indian Sea).f.142v: (above) Dragon-headed monster (Persian Sea); (below) Swordfish (Persian Sea).f.143r: Fish like a shield (Persian Sea).f.144r: A giant bird saving a shipwrecked man (Persian Sea).f.145v: (above) Fish which frightens sailors in the Red Sea; (below) Fish which becomes like cotton when the flesh is dried (Red Sea).f.146r: Owl fish (Red Sea).f.147v: Dog-headed monsters of the Island of Sagsar (Sea of Zanj).f.148v: Man with two women (Sea of Zanj).f.149r: Horned fish (Sea of Zanj).f.149v: Whale (Sea of Zanj).f.152r: A spotted yellow serpent and a snake-tailed fish.f.152v: Jewish Shaykh fish of the Western Sea.f.153r: Camel fish (Western Sea).f.153v: (above) The fish of Joshua and Moses (Western Sea); (below) ‘Hat-like’ fish (Western Sea).f.154r: (above) Winged fish (Western Sea); (below) Fish like a lighthouse (Western Sea).f.156r: A serpent (with front paws) (Caspian).f.156v: Human-headed monster (Caspian).f.157v: (above) Sea-hare; (below) Large fish which eats bones.f.158r: Water men.f.158v: Water cow.f.159v: Crocodile.f.160r: Sea dragon (
tinnīn).f.161r: (above) Catfish; (below) Lamprey.f.161v: (above) Dolphin; (below)
Zūbyānfish.f.162r: Torpedo fish.f.162v: Fish whose burned skin is used to heal the eyes of cattle.f.163r: Crab.f.163v: Five-legged crab.f.164r: Skink.f.165r: Turtle with a tree growing from its shell.f.166r: (above) Carp; (centre)
Shifnīn; (below)
Ṣīr; (border) Frog in human form.f.167r: Frog.f.167v: Leech.f.168r: Mollusc with a head.f.168v: Winged Nile horse.f.169r: Whale.f.169v:
Qusṭāfish.f.170r: Beavers.f.170v: Sea hedgehog.f.171r: (above) Narwhal; (below) Water-dog and a man with a dagger.f.171v: Shark found near Basrah.f.175v: Diagram of the seven climes.f.182r: Khusrau visiting Shirin, with Farhad standing nearby (Mt. Bisitun).f.213r: Harut and Marut chained upside down in a well in Babel.f.251v: Myrtle.f.252r: Ebony.f.252v: Citron.f.253r: Plum (
ijjāṣ).f.253v: (above) Persian lilac; (below) Gum Arabic tree (
umm ghaylān).f.254r: (above) Horseradish tree; (below) Turpentine tree (
buṭm).f.254v: Balsam tree (
balasān).f.255r: Oak.f.255v: Apple.f.256r: (above) Spruce; (below) Mulberry.f.257r: Fig tree.f.257v: Sycamore fig.f.258r: (above) Walnut; (below) Galingale.f.258v: (above) Castor-oil; (below) Egyptian willow.f.259r: Peach.f.259v: (above) Spiny broom; (below) Elm.f.260r: (above) Plane tree; (below) Laurel.f.260v: Pomegranate.f.261v: Olive.f.262v: Cypress.f.263r: Quince.f.263v: (above) Sumac tree; (below) Umbrella Thorn Acacia.f.264r: (above) Juniper gum tree; (below)
Shabābtree.f.264v: (above) Chestnut; (below) Sandalwood.f.265r: (above) Pine; (below) Balm that grows in Yemen.f.265v: (above) Tamarisk; (below) Juniper.f.266r: (above)
Mudarplant; (below) Gall oak (
ʻafs).f.266v: Jujube tree.f.267r: (above) Aloes wood (
ʻūd); (below) Sorbus.f.267v: (above) Desert poplar; (below) A hard wood (
fāvāniyā).f.268r: (above) Pistachio; (below) Pepper tree.f.268v: Hazlenut.f.269r: (above) Wolfberry; (below) Clove.f.269v: Sugar-cane.f.270r: Camphor.f.272r: Grapevine.f.272v: (above) Pear tree; (below) Sun spurge.f.273r: (above) Frankincense; (below) Almond tree.f.274v: Lime.f.275r: Apricot.f.275v: (above) Banana; (below) Orange.f.276r: (above) Coconut palm; (below) Buckthorn.f.277v: Date palm.f.278r: Rose.f.279r: Generic herb with purple flowers.f.279v: (above) Tarragon; (centre) Wormwood; (below) Lentil.f.280r: (above) Indigo plant; (below) Nightshade.f.281r: (above) Radish; (below) Purslane.f.281v: Vitex.f.282r: (above) Calamint; (centre) Wolf's bane; (below) Dog’s bane.f.282v: Milkvetch.f.283r: (above) Armenian cucumber; (below) Safflower.f.283v: (above) Cotton; (below) Prickly thrift.f.284r: Hemp.f.284v: (above) Cauliflower; (centre) Yarrow; (below) Bugloss.f.285r: Flax.f.285v: (above) Leek; (below) Vetch.f.286r: (above) Celery; (below) Caraway.f.286v: (above) Coriander; (centre)
Kakvāsah(?); (below) Cumin.f.287r: Mangosteen.f.287v: (above) Truffle; (centre) Bindweed; (below) Plantain (fleawort).f.288r: (above) Sacred fig; (below) Caper.f.288v: (above) Mandrake; (below) Black-eyed peas.f.289r: (above) Arum lily; (centre) Water lily; (below) Mung bean.f.290r: (above) Daphne; (centre) Māhūzānah; (below) Levant nut.f.290v: (above) Marjoram; (below) Nard.f.291r: Ajwain.f.291v: (above) Narcissus; (below) Dog rose.f.292r: Peppermint.f.292v: (above) Asparagus; (below) Chicory.f.293r: (above) Turmeric; (below) Gourd.f.345r: Horses.f.346r: Mule.f.347r: Domestic asses.f.348r: Wild asses.f.349v: Camels.f.351r: Humped white bull.f.352r: Antelopes.f.352v: Buffalo.f.353r: Giraffe.f.354r: Ram and ewe.f.355r: Goats.f.355v: Blackbuck.f.356v: Mountain goat.f.357v: Jackal.f.358r: Weasel (
ibnʻirs).f.358v: Hare.f.360r: Lion.f.360v: Tiger.f.361v: Foxes.f.362r: Unicorn (
jarīsh).f.363r: Wild boar.f.364r: Bear.f.364v: Marten (
dalaq).f.365v: Wolf.f.366r: Sinād.f.366v: Squirrels.f.367r: (above) Cats; (below) Wildcat.f.367v: Shīr-i uns.f.368r: Shādahvār.f.369r: (above) Hyena; (below) Caracal.f.369v: (above) Demonic camel killer; (below) Falā.f.370r: Cheetah.f.371v: Elephant.f.372r: Apes.f.373r: Rhinoceros.f.375r: (above) Leopard; (below) Tiger-striped horned feline.f.375v: Stag.f.376v: (above) Abū Barāqish (similar to a crane); (below) Abū Hārūn.f.377r: (border) Goose.f.377v: Hawk.f.378r: (above) Parrot; (below) Nightingale.f.378v: Owl.f.379r: (above) Pheasant; (below) Weaver bird.f.379v: (above) Vipers Nurse bird; (below) Bustard.f.380r: Kite.f.381r: Dove.f.382r: Swallows.f.383r: (above) Bats; (below) Francolin.f.384v: Cock.f.385r: Hen.f.385v: A kind of vulture (
rakhmah).f.386r: Raven.f.386v: (above) Starling; (below) A kind of vulture (zamj).f.387r: (above) Quail; (centre) Gyrfalcon; (below) Peregrine.f.387v: (above) Turtle dove; (below) Roller.f.388r: (above)
Ṣāfir(bird which sings at night); (below) Falcon.f.388v: Sea bird.f.389r: (above) Peacock; (below) Grouse.f.389v: Sparrows.f.390v: Eagle.f.391r: Magpies.f.391v: Simurgh (
ʻanqā).f.392v: (above) Crow; (below) Cranes.f.393r: Diver.f.393v: Laughing dove.f.394r: (above) Partridge; (below) Lark.f.394v: Sandgrouse.f.395r: (above) Barbary dove; (centre) Phoenix; (below) Grus.f.395v: Curlew.f.396r: (above) Egret; (below) Desert lark.f.396v: Vulture.f.397r: (above) Ostrich; (below) Hoopoe.f.398r: (above) Diving bird; (below) Gold firebird.f.400v: Viper.f.402r: Dragon.f.402v: Locust.f.403r: (above) Chameleon; (centre) Flea-like insect (
Ḥurqūṣ); (below) Snails.f.404v: Bird-eating snakes.f.405r: Earthworm.f.405v: Black beetle.f.406r: (above) Silkworm (dūd al-qazz) drawn as a beetle; (below) Worms.f.407r: Flies.f.407v: (above) Cantharides; (below) Tarantulas.f.408r: (above) Hornet; (below) Gecko in text but drawn as a fly.f.408v: Turtle.f.409r: (above) A moth called bint Warwar which resembles a green plant; (below)
Ṣannājah.f.410r: (above) Uromastyx; (below) Polecat.f.410v: Lizard.f.411r: Scorpion.f.412r: Spider.f.413r: Coin-stealing mouse.f.413v: (above) Mole; (centre) Musk mouse; (below) Black and white mouse; (below) Wolfsbane mouse.f.414r: Jerboas and holes.f.414v: Salamanders.f.416v: (above) Hedgehog; (below) Ticks.f.418r: Bees.f.419v: Monitor lizard (damaged).f.420r: Giant man and woman from the Land of Gog and Magog.f.420v: (above) Elephant-eared people from the Land of Mansuk; (centre) Black pygmies; (below) Tree-dwellers of Sumatra.f.421r: (above) Naked dwellers of Ramni; (below) One-eyed inhabitants of an island of Zanj.f.421v: (above) Dog-headed people of Zanj; (below) Beautiful people of Zanj who had no bones in their legs.f.422r: (above) Winged people with elephants' trunks; (centre) Winged people with horses' heads; (below) Two-headed people with tails.f.422v: (above) Two-headed people with many legs; (centre) Human-headed serpents; (below) People with their faces on their chests.f.423r: (above) Split people; (centre) Human-headed turtle; (below) A 'Giraffe' (Cross between a camel and an ox).f.423v: (above) Cross between a horse and a wild ass; (centre) Cross between a camel and a dromedary; (below) Cross between men and bears.f.424r: (above) Cross between a wolf and a hyena; (centre) Cross between a dog and a wolf; (below) Cross between a domestic pigeon and a wild pigeon.f.424v: The giant Ūj ibn ʼAnaq.f.425r: A giant from the land of the Bulgars.f.425v: (border) Two fish inscribed with the Basmala; (above) A giant of Mosul; (below) A person from Yemen with two conjoined bodies from the waist up.f.426r: (above) Human-headed bird; (centre) The winged fox which was presented to Nūḥ ibn Manṣūr; (below) A woman with the double-headed child she gave birth to in Khurāsān.f.426v: The horned horse presented to Nūḥ ibn Manṣūr.Codex; ff. iv+466+iiMaterial: PaperDimensions: 310 x 210 mm leaf [ 210 x 146 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil; Arabic foliation in red and black ff. 2 (i.e. f.8)-416 (ie. f.426)Ruling: 19 lines per page; vertical spacing 9 lines per 10 cmScript: NaskhInk: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings in redDecoration:
Sarlawḥ; opening (ff.7v-8r) text block in white cloud-bands against gilt background with floriated decoration (red and green); text illustrated with 457 mid-17th century Deccani paintings.Binding: Red leather oriental binding without flap; stamped and pasted central medallion with pendants, corners, and cartouchesCondition: Waterstains, torn edges.Marginalia: Extensive.Seals: f.7r: round seal of Muḥammad ʻĀdil Shāḥ; f. iv verso: red British museum stamp.
Commentary by Abū al-Qāsim ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʻAlī Ibn Abī Ṣādiq al-Nīsābūrī (أبو القاسم عبد الرحمن بن علي ابن أبي صادق النيسابوري, d. ca 1068) on the Aphorisms (كتاب الفصول) of Hippocrates (أبقراط, d. ca 370 BC). The commentary is based on Galen of Pergamon's (جالينوس, d. ca 216) commentary on the Aphorisms.The copy was completed on the morning of Tuesday 3 Ramaḍān 1094/26 August 1683, the 28th year of the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (reg. 1658-1707), in the
takīyahof Shah Sayyid Aḥmad at Burhanpur by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir Qurashī (شيخ عبد القادر قرشي, see colophon, f. 177r, lines 6-8, transcribed below).The text is followed by a brief note by a later hand and an incomplete horoscope diagram (f. 177v).Begins (f. 2v, lines 1-4):... قال عبد الرحمن بن عليبن أبي صادق رحمة (!) بعد حمد الله تعا[لى] بجميع محامده والصلوة علىرسوله محمد وآله إن العناية تبعث الخلق على اقتناء باب من أبواب العلوممن أشرف الفضائل الإنسانية سيما ما كان الناس كافةً ...Ends (f. 177r, lines 2-5):... وأما الفصول المدالة والتي قد اعتد ذكرهابآخره من الكتاب فركنا ذكرها شفقة على فواتالزمان بما لا يجدي نفعًا والله تعالى والسالمة وهوحسبنا ونعم الوكيلColophon (f. 177r, lines 6-13):تمت بالخير بوقت ضحى روز سه شنبه بتأريخ سيوم ماهرمضان المبارك في تكيه ميان شاه سيد أحمد قدس سرهسنة 28 جلوس سنة 1094 هجري كاتب فقير شيخ عبد القادرقرشي ساكن برهانپور هركس كه بدركاه توآيد به تيازمحروم زدركاه توكي كردربازاي آله من وآله همه كرم تست عذرخواه همقطره [آ]ز آب رحمت توبه است شستن نامه سياه هموالسلام والإكرامFf. 2v-177r
Anonymous and untitled treatise on mathematics containing numerous diagrams.The copy was completed at Ajmer (أجمير) on Tuesday 10 Rabī‘ I 1041/7 October 1631 by Muḥammad Amīn ibn Mirzā Muḥammad Faḍl Allāh Kāshānī (محمد أمين بن مرزا محمد فضل الله كاشاني; see colophon, f. 14v, lines 15-21 and second line of Persian inscription by hand of scribe to left of colophon, transcribed below).Contents:Begins (f. 2v, lines 2-3):بدانکه اهل این صناعت را در اخراج مسایل طریقهای بسیار است وقانونهای درست که متقدمان بدستآورده اند چون اربعه مناسب وطریق جبر ومقابله وطریق خطایی ومانند این ...Ends (f. 14v, lines 13-14):... این قدر هدایت که کردیم کفایتباشد در چگونگی بیرون کردن مسایل اکنون برین اختصار کردیم تا دراز نگردد والسلمColophon (f. 14v, lines 15-21):تمت هذه النسخة الشريفة في يوم الثلثاء عاشر شهر ربيع الأولسنة إحدى وأربعين ألف من الهجرةالنبوية المصطفوية علىيد العبد الضعيفمحمد أمين بن مرزامحمد فضل اللهكاشانيInscription to right of colophon (by hand of scribe):شبهای فقر وفنا از ما و بخت و ملک وجاه از توچو دنیا را بقائی نیست خواه از ما وخواه از توInscription to left of colophon (by hand of scribe):در محلی که انقلاب روزگار این فقیر کم بضاعت رااز نیسانی ما ببلده اجمیر انداخته بود بر سبیل استعجال نوشته شدFf. 2v-14v
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
Treatise on practical astronomy (تقويم) divided into thirty sections (سي فصل) composed in 658/1260 (see Amīn,
Mustadrakāt a‘yān al-shī‘ah, p. 233) by Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (نصير الدين الطوسي, d. 1274). The full title of the work is
Sī faṣl dar ma‘rifat-i taqvīm(سي فصل در معرفت تقويم).The text contains thirteen complete diagrams and tables (ff. 58v, 60r, 61r, 63r, 63v, 64r, 68r, 69r, 69v, 70r, 71v, 72r, and 72v), with an unfilled space for a further diagram (f. 68v), and a table into which no data has been entered (f. 70v).The copy was completed on 25 Dhū al-Ḥijjah 1055/11 February 1646 (see colophon, f. 77r, lines 18-19, transcribed below).Begins (f. 56v, lines 10-12):الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلوة والسلم على خير خلقهمحمد وآله أجمعين وبعد اين مختصر يست در معرفتتقويم مشتمل بر سي فصل ...Ends (f. 77r, lines 13-17):... اما در بيع منصرف از سعديودر شرى بايد كه متصل بسعدي بود وبرين قاس ومادرين مختصر بد ينقدر اختيار كنيم پساکر کسى زياده ازين خواهد بحوع بهكتب مبسوطه اين علم كند واللهاعلمColophon (f. 77r, lines 18-19):... تمام شد بتاريخ 25ذي الحجة سنة 1055Ff. 56v-77r
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
A collection of five astronomical and mathematical treatises in Persian and Arabic. Folios 77v and 78r have been left blank.Contents:(1) al-Qūshjī (القوشجي),
Risālah dar ‘ilm-i hay’ah(رسالة در علم هيئة; ff. 1v-46r)(2) al-‘Āmilī (العاملي),
Tashrīḥ al-aflāk(تشريح الأفلاك; ff. 46v-56v);(3) al-Ṭūsī (الطوسي),
Risālah sī faṣl(رساله سي فصل; ff. 56v-77r);(4) al-Ṭūsī (الطوسي),
Bīst bāb dar ma‘rifat asṭurlāb(بيست باب در معرفت اسطرلاب; ff. 78v-103r);(5) al-‘Āmilī (العاملي),
Khulāṣat al-ḥisāb(خلاصة الحساب; ff. 103v-135v).Codex; ff. iv+135+vMaterial: Eastern laid paper; blue paper ff. 94-101Dimensions: 195 x 90 mm leaf [ff. 1v-79r 140 x 45 mm written; ff. 79v-135v 140 x 50 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencilRuling:
Misṭarah; 18 lines per page; vertical spacing 13 lines per 10 cmScript:
NaskhInk: Black ink, with rubrications and some diagrams and overlinings in redDecoration: Illuminated opening ff. 1v-2r; illuminated
‘unwānsff. 46v and 56v; titles in gold ink ff. 78v and 103vBinding: red leather binding mixing European and Islamic styles; blind-tooled medallion and pendantsCondition: Very good; some margins repaired (ff. 94-113); lower corner torn from f. 110Marginalia: Occasional notes and corrections; many on ff. 46v-59v and 104r-105rSeals: f. 1r
Second part of a collection of Naṣīr al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ṭūsī's (نصير الدين محمد بن محمد الطوسي; d. 1274) editions (تحارير) of the so-called 'intermediate [books] (متوسطات)', Arabic versions of ancient Greek mathematical and astronomical texts and Arabic responses to them which were meant to be read after Euclid's
Elementsand in preparation for Ptolemy's
Almagest. The first part of this collection is found in manuscript IO Islamic 1249.The script, ornamentation and binding of the volume indicate that it is part of a set comprising also manuscripts IO Islamic 924 and IO Islamic 1249. Since the latter was transcribed in 1198/1784, probably for Warren Hastings, Governor-General of Bengal from 1772 to 1785 (see front paper ii recto), the collation notes in this manuscript dated to the months of Jumādá I and Sha‘bān without indication of the year probably refer to 1198 (March-April and June-July 1784).A descriptive title in Persian is found on front paper ii recto, and tables of contents in Persian and English are given on front paper iii recto.Contents:(1) Autolycus (أوطولوقس),
De sphaera quae movetur(تحرير كتاب الكرة المتحركة; ff. 1v-10r);(2) Theodosius (ثاوذوسيوس),
De habitationibus(تحرير كتاب المساكن; ff. 11v-21r);(3) Theodosius (ثاوذوسيوس),
De diebus et noctibus(كتاب في الأيام والليالي; ff. 23v-51r);(4) Aristarchus (أرسطرخس),
De magnitudinibus et distantiis solis et lunae(في جرمي النيرين وبعديهما; ff. 52v-69r);(5) Euclid (أقليدس),
Elements, Book 1 (مقالهٔ اولى از كتاب اقليدس; ff. 71v-95r)(6) Euclid (أقليدس),
De levi et ponderoso(في الثقل والخفة وقياس الأجرام بعضها إلى بعض; ff. 98v-101r).Codex; ff. vi+101+ivMaterial: PaperDimensions: 209 x 120 mm leaf [130 x 58 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencilRuling:
Misṭarah; 12 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 copyistSeals: Ff. 1r and 101v