This file contains correspondence concerning the Persian claim to the island of Sirrī, as well as their claim to and occupation of that place. In addition there is information concerning rival claims by Trucial Coast rulers, details concerning Dubai pearl divers on the island and details concerning other Persian Gulf islands, including Abu Musa [Abū Mūsá] and Tanb [Ṭanb].The correspondence in this file is between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; ‘Abd al-Qasim and ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, Residency Agents at Sharjah; Āghā Muḥammad Amīn Badr, Residency Agent at Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh]; Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qāsimī, ruler of Sharjah; Maktūm bin Ḥashr Āl Maktūm, ruler of Dubai; and various British officials in the Foreign Department of the Government of India. There are also copies of correspondence between India Office and Foreign Office officials.Folio 2 is an index, and folios 4-9 are a precis of documents within the file for folios 10-115. Subjects covered include: Persian flag hoisted on Sirri [Sirrī] (folios 18, 48); Persian refusal to remove the flag (folios 127-131); Memorandum by the Resident on Persian refusal (folios 141-144); Hajji Ahmad Khan [Hājjī Aḥmad Khān]'s Report (folios 80-93); Legation correspondence with the Persian Foreign Office (folios 70-77); Documents tendered in support of the Persian claim (folio 52-59); Shaikh of Shargah [Sharjah]'s claims to Sirri (folios 27-28); Persian claim to Abu Musa island (folio 80); Shaikh of Debai [Dubai] complains of pearl divers absconding to Sirri and the Persian Coast (folios 116-118, 154-160, 167-190); Chief of Ras El Khaimah [Ras al-Khaymah]'s claim to Tanb island (folios 22, 209).Notable documents within the file include: a precis of correspondence about occupation of the island of Sirri (folios 109-113); a report entitled
Question of the status of the Island of Sirri(ff. 165-166); a report by the Residency Agent at Lingah on the island of Sirri in Persian and English translation (ff. 200-202); correspondence with Sir Mortimer Durand regarding the island of Sirri (folios 211-215); and a statement by the Shaikh of Sharjah (f. 65).1 volume (235 folios)The file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: The foliation number is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the third folio after the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the last folio of writing, on number 227. The file contains the following foliation amendments: folio 1 is followed by folios 1A and 1B; no folio 3; folio 92 is followed by folio 92A; folio 156 is followed by folio 156A; folio 171 is followed by folio 171A.
The majority of correspondence in the file consists of miscellaneous letters and instructions, with enclosures, in Arabic and English, between 9 February 1884 to 24 February 1914, from the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire and ‘Abd al-Qāsim, Khān Bahādur ‘Abd al-Laṭīf bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān and ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Laṭīf, Residency Agents on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah. There are also letters from Messrs A & T J Malcolm & Company (f. 9) and the Residency Agent at Lingah (f. 49). Enclosures typically include copies and originals of letters to and from various Persian Gulf rulers (for example, ff. 69, 70-77) and from British native agents at Bahrain and Lingah (for example, f. 151). Also included within the file are copies of responses from the Residency Agent to the Political Residency (for example, f. 67) and list of claims of various residents of Abu Dhabi (ff. 78-87).The Arabic and Persian text of the letters is handwritten and appears on the left hand of the folio, while the English text occasionally appears typed (for example, ff. 191-192). Some letters have strips of paper attached to them indicating the subject of the letter (for example, ff. 141-144), while on the recto side of some folios the subject of the letter is written in Arabic in pencil or pen (for example, f. 26v). The letters are numbered according to the year, for example, ‘No 389 of 1886’ (f. 107), although some letters appear unnumbered (for example, f. 171).The correspondence within the file deals generally with commercial and consular matters and the relations of the rulers of the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms with one another and the British. Subjects covered within the file include: the islands of Dalmā, Sīrī, Sir Bu Neir [Ṣīr Bū Nu‘ayr] and Abū Mūsá and red oxide mines; the status and claims of British Indian subjects (
banyans) in the Persian Gulf; pearl diving matters and cases of absconding divers; relations between Aḥmad bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Mu‘allā, the ruler of Umm al-Qaywayn, and his son Muḥammad; the transport of armed men and munitions by sea, and the preservation of maritime peace; relations between Shaikh Zāyid bin Kahlīfah Āl Nahyān of Abu Dhabi and Shaikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī of Qatar; attack on an al-Wakrah boat and correspondence from ‘Alī bin Rāshid, the shaikh of al-Wakrah; various slavery cases, including one related to the shaikhs of Abu Dhabi and Qatar; relations between Shaikh Zāyid and al-Qubaysāt, al-Manāṣīr and Banī Hājir tribes; relations between Oman and Persia vis-à-vis the Trucial Coast; and a breach of the maritime peace by the people of al-Ḥamrīyah against ports on the Persian littoral of the Gulf.1 file (241 folios)Foliation: The foliation numbers are circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. They begin on the front cover, on number 1, and end on the inside of the back cover, on number 241. Foliation errors: f. 78 is followed by f. 78A; no f. 211.
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
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
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
Treatise on drugs by Taqī al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Ṣadr al-Dīn ‘Alī (تقي الدين محمد ابن صدر الدين علي, see f. 136v, line 5, fl. ca 1600).The treatise is followed by three folios (ff. 234r-236v) of Persian verse.Begins (f. 136v, lines 2-5):زيب ديباچه هر رساله تسباليش صانع حكيمى رو است كه قلوب ارباب عقول را بسناحث (؟)حکمت علمی وعملی هدايت نمود و زينت خطبه هر نسخه بدرود رسول كريمى نراست كه زنکعلت جرم دكاه از مرأت عقول أصحاب قلوب بصيقل (؟) عنيات زهد عليه وآله صلوات اللهالملك المعبود ...Ends (f. 233r, lines 5-11):... و اگر فرضًا عدد شربات سى باشد و وزنمركب و شربت ان مركب ثلث درم خواهد بود زيراكه نسبت ثلث درم بدهدرم چون نسبت واحد استبعدد شربات كه سىاست وعلى هذ[ا]القياستمتFf. 136r-237v
This file consists mainly of notes by George Nathaniel Curzon on matters relating to Persia. Most of the notes are written on various kinds of headed paper, with the most abundant being those of the India Office, the Foreign Office, the House of Commons and the Carlton Club, Whitehall. Some of the notes are marked secret or confidential, while others make reference to received correspondence.In addition to these notes, the file includes a small amount of received correspondence, including letters from Henry George Gerald Cadogan and E C Ringler Thomson, British Consul General at Meshed.Also included in the file are the following: a photograph of Sultan Massoud Mirza Qajar Zelle Soltan [Mass'oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan], a Persian prince of the Qajar Dynasty and Governor of Esfahan [Isfahan]; brief historical notes in Persian on the relation between Uzbek leader Muhammad Shaybani Khan and Shah Ismail I of Persia; a map of the north-eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.Much of the material is undated, but those items that are dated suggest an approximate date range of 1892-1898.1 file (84 folios)The papers proceed in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 95, and terminates at f 179, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 95-176; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.