Composite volume containing two manuscripts on drugs.Contents:(1) Isfarāyīnī, Muḥammad (إسفراييني، محمد),
Taqwīm al-adwīyah(تقويم العدوية; ff. 1r-135v);(2) Taqī al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Ṣadr al-Dīn ‘Alī (تقي الدين محمد ابن صدر الدين علي), Treatise on drugs (ff. 136r-237v).Codex; ff. i+237+iMaterial: 1r-135v: Eastern laid paper; 136r-237v: Western laid paperDimensions: 275 x 155 mm leaf [1r-135v: 170 x 85 mm written (untabulated folios), 136r-237v: 165 x 90 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencilRuling: 1r-135v: no ruling visible, 14 lines per page, vertical spacing 9 lines per 10 cm; 136r-237v (untabulated folios):
Misṭarah, 19 lines per page, vertical spacing 12 lines per 10 cmScript: 1r-135v:
Nasta‘līq; the scribe is Ibn ‘Abd Allāh Abū al-Ḥasan al-Shīrāzī (ابن عبد الله أبو الحسن الشيرازي, see colophon, f. 134r, lines 8-9); 136r-237v:
Nasta‘līqInk: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings in redDecoration: 1r-135v: illuminated opening (ff. 3v-4r) with head piece in blue and gold with floral and foliate design in red, yellow, green and white, floral and foliate pattern in gold, blue green and red in margins and between lines of text; subsequent folia framed in blue and gold; 136r-237v: all folia framed in blue, red, and goldBinding: British Museum red buckram binding; leather covers of previous binding of red leather with multicoloured medallion and pendants pasted to inside current right and left boardsCondition: Minor tidemarks to lower edge corners towards front and back of volume; lower edge corners of ff. 134 and 135 mutilated and repairedMarginalia: Very fewSeals: 3r, 40r, 134r, 135r
Contents:(1) al-Lāhūrī (اللاهوري),
al-Taṣrīḥ fī sharḥ al-tashrīḥ(التصريح في شرح التشريح; ff. 1r-16r);(2) al-Landanī (اللندني),
al-Ijābah ʿalá taʿ
līq al-Jawnbūrī(الإجابة على تعليق الجونبوري; ff. 16v-22r);(3) Anonymous,
Tarjamah-’i Sab‘ shidād(ترجمه سبع الشداد; ff. 23r-44v);(4) al-Ṭūsī (الطوسي),
Risālah fī kayfīyat al-ʿamal bi-al-asṭurlāb(رسالة في كيفية العمل بالأسطرلاب; ff. 47r-60v).Codex; ff. ii+62+iiMaterial: Eastern laid paperDimensions: 295 x 175 mm leaf [200-30 x 110 mm written]Foliation: India Office Library foliation stamped in black inkRuling:
Misṭarah; 23-25 lines per page; vertical spacing 12 lines per 10 cmScript:
Nasta’līqInk: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings in redDecoration: NoneBinding: Case binding; boards with red leather at edges and spine and marbled paper in centreCondition: Minor insect damage, some holes repaired; extensive pre-digitisation conservation work to spine and bindingMarginalia: Almost noneSeals: 1r, 16r, 22v, 23r, and 60v
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
(1) Anonymous, Untitled treatise on mathematics (ff. 2-14);(2) Jamshīd al-Kāshī (جمشيد الكاشي),
Miftāḥ al-ḥisāb(مفتاح الحساب; ff. 15-122).Codex; ff. ix+123+ixMaterial: Eastern laid paperDimensions: 240 x 135 mm leaf [150 x 75 mm written]Foliation: India Office Library foliation in pencilRuling:
Misṭarah; 18 lines per page; vertical spacing 12 lines per 10 cmScript:
Nasta‘līq; the scribe of ff. 2v-14v is Muḥammad Amīn ibn Mirzā Muḥammad Faḍl Allāh Kāshānī (محمد أمين بن مرزا محمد فضل الله كاشاني; see f. 14v, lines 19-21)Ink: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings and diagrams in redBinding: Red leather binding, blind-tooled with stamped medallions and pendants, corner pieces and cartouche all of which contain inscriptions; leather doublures and first flyleaf marbled at front and back; bound in Seringapatam (Srirangapatna) at library of Tīpū Sulṭān (ٹیپو سلطان) of Mysore (reg. 1782-1799) (see Stewart, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Oriental Library of the Late Tippoo Sultan of Mysore. To which are Prefixed, Memoirs of Hyder Aly Khan, and his Son Tippoo Sultan [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1809], p. v)Condition: Minor insect damageMarginalia: Few by more than one handSeal: ff. 1r and 122v
Collection of unbound folios comprising four codicological units.Contents:(1) Abū al-Barakāt al-Baghdādī (أبو البركات البغدادي),
Risālah fī sabab ẓuhūr al-kawākib laylan wa-khafā’ihā nahāran(رسالة في سبب ظهور الكواكب ليلًا وخفائها نهارًا; ff. 1v-3v);(2) al-Ṭūsī (الطوسي), Treatise on heat (ff. 4v-7r);(3) al-‘Āmilī (العاملي),
Khulāṣat al-ḥisāb(خلاصة الحساب; f. 10v).The first two texts in this manuscript (ff. 1-7) form a single codicological unit, and previously were part (probably a single quire) of a larger collection as indicated by the Persian labels written before each text: 'Third treatise, three folios' (رساله سوم سه 3 ورق, f. 1r) and 'Fourth treatise, four folios' (رساله چهارم چهار 4 ورق, f. 4r).Folios 8-10 form a second codicological unit. Folios 8r-10r appear to be the front flyleaves of the volume of which f. 10v is the first page of text, and they (ff. 8r-10r) contain assorted notes in Arabic and Persian with diagrams.Unfoliated leaves i and ii came from a further two volumes, and contain notes in Arabic and Persian. Unfoliated leaf i-v contains what appears to be the fragmentary beginning of a text, while unfoliated leaf ii-r contains the fragmentary ending of another.This entire collection of unbound folios was wrapped in a single printed quarto sheet with the title 'Act No. XIV. Of 1850. Passed by the Governor General of India in Council on the 22nd March, 1850' (Calcutta: Bengal Military Orphan Press, 1850).Codex [without binding]; ff. 10+iiMaterial: Eastern laid paperDimensions: 230 x 145 mm leaf [150 x 80 mm written] (ff. 1-7) / 220 x 135 mm leaf [130 x 80 mm written (f. 10v)] (ff. 8-10) / 203 x 130 leaf [143 x 100 written (i-v)] (i) / 230 x 123 mm leaf [150 x 50 written (ii-r)] (ii)Foliation: Eastern Arabic foliation in black ink (each text foliated separately); India Office Library foliation stamped in black inkRuling: No ruling visible; 17 lines per page; vertical spacing 12 lines per 10 cm (ff. 1-7) / vertical spacing 7 lines per 10 cm (f. 10v) / vertical spacing 10 lines per 10 cm (i-v) / vertical spacing 12 lines per 10 cm [extrapolated] (ii-r)Script: NaskhInk: BlackBinding: NoneCondition: Insect damage; binding and all stitching lost; of the main folios, ff. 6-5 and 8-9 are the only intact bifolia. Many historic repairs removed during conservation now stored separately with volumeMarginalia: On flyleaves only (i.e. ff. 8r, 8v, 9r, 9v, 10r, i-r, ii-r and ii-v)Seals: ff. 1r, 7v, 8r, flyleaf i-r
Concise handbook of medicine by Abū al-Ḥasan Saʿīd ibn Hibat Allāh ibn al-Ḥusayn (أبو الحسن سعيد بن هبة الله بن الحسين; d. 1101), personal physician to the Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadī (المقتدي, reg. 1056-1094) to whom this work is dedicated (f. 4v, line 7). The title of the text is often abbreviated to
Kitāb al-mughnī fī al-ṭibb(كتاب المغني في الطبّ).The text is arranged by illness, and each one is assigned to a table. Each table takes up a page, and all pages of the text except for 4v, 5r and 104r contain tables. the tables are divided into four cells containing information about (1) the illness (مرض); (2) its cause (سبب); (3) its symptoms (عرض); and (4) the regimen (تدبير) recommended for its cure, often including a prescription (صفة).Folios 1r-3v contain medical notes in Persian and Arabic.The completion date in the colophon of this manuscript is barely legible (f. 104r, lines 9-10), but appears to read Jumādá I 307/September-October 919. This can hardly be the true transcription date since the author was not born until 436 AH/AD 1101. The reading of the date in this colophon has been the subject of controversy, and two Persian notes below the colophon discuss the date. The first reads the date in the colophon as 309 AH/AD 921-22 and notes that this does not conincide with the regnal dates of caliph al-Muqtadī; the second correctly dates the end of al-Muqtadī's reign to 487 AH/AD 1094. The two printed catalogues in which this manuscript appears read the date in the colophon as 534 AH/AD 1139, just 38 years after the death of the author.Begins (f. 4v, lines 2-3):[...] الخبير أبو الحسن سعيد بن هبة الله بن الحسن الفيلسوف إنّ أولى ما نطق به اللسان وثبت برهانه في الجنان (؟)[...] الأزمان التي أوجد المخلوقات بقدرته وفضل الإنسان على جميعها بحكمته وجعله عالمًا متوسطًا ...End and colophon (f. 104) are mutilated and mostly illegible.Codex; ff. i+104+iMaterial: PaperDimensions: 225 x 170 mm leaf [200 x 145 mm written]Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil; eastyern Arabic foliation in black inkRuling: No ruling visible; average of 20 lines per page; vertical spacing 10 lines per 10 cmScript:
NaskhInk: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings in redBinding: British Museum bindingCondition: Badly water damaged; many leaves mutilated and repaired especially towards front and back of volumeMarginalia: Infrequent, by more than one handSeals: Ff. 4r, 104v
Five passages in Persian supposedly taken from the writings of Jābir ibn Ḥayyān. The main bulk of the corpus of texts attributed to this semi-legendary figure, however, are thought to have been composed between the second half of the 9th century and first half 10th century. Since this text begins with the
Testament of Ṭughrāʾī(d. 515/1121), it cannot be true that these passages were all extraced from writings attributed to Jābir ibn Ḥayyān.Begins (f. 66v, lines 2-5):فصل وصية مؤيد الدين أبو اسمعيل الطغرائی از تدابير جابرميگويد اي پسر من چون از درويشی بترسيد بران كوه شويد كه بربالای شماستوتوانگري ميروياند بگيريد آنرا وبا اصل خودش يريد كه پیس از ان رسته استوبالا گرفته جزوهاى لطيف كه ثفلش واین نشيند وآبى زندگانی بزرگ قدروبهاEnds (f. 67v, lines 11-15):... ونفس وروحوجسد وزحل وجسدش ومشتری وارزپر سياه بس چون باز سبيد شدنامهاى ديگر تهند (؟) آتش حكيمان وزيبق مصعّد وقمر مكلّس ونحاس وآنكه تاريكىاز دبشده باشد گويند كه شرمۀ سفيد ومغنيسياى سفيد ومرد اسنگ سبيدوقمر وزیل القمر وزیل الشمس خوانندff. 66v-67vMaterial: 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 and 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)
Treatise on the use of the astrolabe in twenty chapters (بيست باب) by Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (نصير الدين الطوسي, d. 1274).This copy was completed on 29 Dhū al-Qa‘dah 1057/26 December 1647 (see colophon, f. 103r, lines 9-11, transcribed below).Begins (f. 78v, lines 4-6):اين مختصر يست در معرفت اسطرلاب مشتمل بربيست باب باب اول در القاب آلات وخطوط ودواير اصطرلاب ...Ends (f. 103r, lines 6-8):... بر بيشتر اسطرلابها اين كواكب نقشكنند هر كه اين را بشناسد چنانكه در آن اشتباه نيفتد اورادر اين باب كفايت باشد والله اعلم بحقيقت الاشياءColophon (f. 103r, lines 9-11):تمت الرسالة الشريفه في سلخ شهرذى العقدة الحرام سنة 1057هجريFf. 78v-103r
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.
Anonymous commentary on the
al-Sabʿ al-shidād fī ‘ilm al-hayʾah(السبع الشداد في علم الهيئة) by Ḥusayn ibn Kamāl al-Dīn al-Ṭabāṭabāʾī.The text contains numerous diagrams.Begins (f. 23, lines 2-4):الحمد لله حمد الشاكرين والصلوة والسلام على خير الخلقة محمد وآله وأصحابه أجمعين أما بعد اينكتاب كتابي است مشتمل بر مقدمه و در مقاله و خاتمه مقدمة در بيان پيش از شروع درينعلم دانستنى است ...Ends (f. 44v, lines 14-16):و جرم او يك نخش از دوازده هزار وهفصد وشصت و نه بخش زمين استو اعظم ثوابت مرصوده دويست و بيست و دو بر ابر زمين است و اصغرثوابت مرصوده بيست و سه بر ابر زمينن است. تمت تمام شدFf. 23r-44v
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
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