Arabic, Persian and Ottoman ManuscriptsScience, Philosophy, Literature and Religion

Exhibition on view

6 - 23 October 2009

SAM FOGG15D Clifford Street, London W1S 4JZ T: +44 (0)20 7534 2100 F: +44 (0)20 7534 2122 www.samfogg.com info@samfogg.com

IntroductionWe have been assembling Islamic manuscripts wherever we could find them for nearly 20 years. The result in recent years has been published catalogues of Qurans and of books illustrated with paintings. This has however left out a large group fitting into neither category but which is nevertheless of considerable importance for both Islamic art and culture. They are arranged chronologically and include many lavishly illuminated books made for the rulers and elites of the Timurid, Safavid, Ottoman and Moghul courts. There is a decorated almanac made for Suleyman the Magnificient (cat. no. 31) as well as books made for later Ottoman rulers, the Marinid Sultans, Sultan Ibrahim of Bijapur and the Moghul Emperors (cat. nos. 9, 24, 45, 46). A precious discovery is a small book of poetry fully decorated by Suleymans master painter Kara Memi (cat. no. 34). There are works of science, philosophy and literature, some in very early copies from Islamic Spain, Ayyubid Alexandria, Fez and elsewhere. These include important books by al-Razi, al-Ghazali and Ibn Ridwan (cat. nos. 8, 10, 11). A copy of Ibn al-Wardis Cosmography with a double-page map of the world is probably the oldest copy in existence (cat. no. 16). Among manuscripts on religious subjects there is a pilgrimage guide of the fourteenth century with 46 pictures (cat. no. 13) and a copy of al-Busiris Qasidah al-Burda written and fully decorated in Mecca in 1531 (cat. no. 26). Another remarkable item is a Fatimid tarsh of circa eleventh century one of the only tiny number of examples of early Islamic printing to survive (cat. no. 50). At the end of the catalogue is a description of the Library of Persian and Arabic manuscripts assembled in the late eighteenth century by Sir Charles Boughton Rouse, an English scholar and administrator resident in late Moghul India. It contains 72 complete manuscripts and quantities of documents and papers (cat. no. 51)

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Circa 12th century

Spain

Al-Bayan wal-Tahsil (Explanation and Study) by Ibn Rushd al-Jadd, Part 22

Arabic manuscript on paper, ca. 500 folios, 29 lines of brown maghribi script to the page, modern red leather binding with original tooled decoration 30 x 23.3 cm

This large and spaciously written Spanish manuscript is the al-Bayan wal-Tahsil, the famous work on Maliki fiqh (jurisprudence) by Ibn Rushd al-Jadd (d. 520/1136), and the grandfather of Averroes. A note on the final page states that the present copy was copied from the original copy of Ibn Rushd al-Jadd, making this copy a manuscript of great importance for the text, completed not long after the authors death, and perhaps even during the lifetime of Averroes. The high quality burnished cream paper is typical of the best paper produced in Spain in the twelfth century. The uncharacteristically neat and widely spaced brown maghribi script, and the large size of the manuscript, are also typical of other luxury scientific manuscripts produced in this area and period and indicate that this copy was prepared for a wealthy and learned individual of high standing in society. The neatly displayed marginal comments, which exist throughout the manuscript, also suggest that this manuscript was produced with the greatest care and attention to detail of the original work. Ibn Rushd al-Jadd was a highly-regarded legal scholar of the Maliki school, and author of several works on fiqh, including the present al-Bayan wal-Tahsil, considered to be the most famous commentary based on the Mustakhraja min al-Asmia, also known as the Utbiyya, of Muhammad al-Utbi al-Qurtubi, a famous faqih (jurist) from Cordoba (d. 254/868). The Mustakhraja is an important collection of

responses to juridical questions compiled by al-Utbi through sessions of sama (listening) by important transmitters of Maliki doctrine. Along with other famous jurists, al-Utbi was a mushawar (consultant faqih) under Muhammad I, the amir of Cordoba from 852 to 886 AD. Ibn Rushd al-Jadd was the grandfather of the more famous Ibn Rushd, known in the West as Averroes (d. 595/1198). They came from a wealthy and well-known Cordoban family, from a line of jurists, and both Ibn Rushd al-Jadd and Averroes father enjoyed patronage by the Almoravid court, whose ideology the family was closely linked with. Ibn Rushd al-Jadd was the qadi (chief judge) and imam of the Great Mosque of Cordoba during his lifetime, and a highly regarded and respected member of Cordoban society. Before his death in 1126 AD, which was also the year of the birth of his renowned grandson, Ibn Rushd al-Jadd had issued a number of famous fatawi (legal opinions) during a controversial time of political upheaval and a long tradition of austere socio-political rule through Maliki thought that marked the end of the Almoravid dynasty in Spain with the advancing armies of the Almohads from Berber North Africa. There is an inscription in a later maghribi hand on the first page, dated 1079/ 1668.

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Section from a manual on the science of household administration (tadbir al-manzil) Signed Abd al-Majid Perhaps North Africa 12th century Including 13 mathematical diagrams

Arabic manuscript on cream paper, 25 folios with approx. 25 lines of naskh script in black-brown ink per page, lacking first few leaves, notes and numerals in margins, in later red morocco binding with stamped and tooled decoration, good condition 23.8 x 17 cm

This early and unusual manuscript contains a section on tadbir al-manzil, the science of domestic economy. The script and paper suggest a date of the eleventh or twelfth century. It pertains mainly to the acquisition, conservation, division and disposal of property. The work begins with a talismanic invocation for protection, describing various pharmaceutical concoctions that have protective powers, followed by repetitious invocations. Following is a section on the division and taxation (kharaj) of land, and how it may be calculated in relation to surface area (sith) of a piece of land. This is demonstrated through a series of diagrams using geometric illustrations and letters from the alphabet to mark points for distance. A section on payment for purchasing items which are sold by weight (ratl) follows, and includes an explanation on how these should be calculated. The allotment of property, including work to be completed on land, payment and taxation, as well as the sharing of water and how this is best calculated

for rivers and wells, and the division of natural resources, also features as an important section in this manual. Finally, the division and sharing of money and other wealth between various numbers of people, particularly members of a family, features in the penultimate section; this also includes the division of property and payment for a widow upon her husbands death. The final page includes a short explanation of the calculation of dividends and revenues for various items of property. The science of household economy (ilm al-tadbir) featured as an important subject in medieval Islamic domestic life. Along with ilm al-akhlaq (ethics) and ilm al-siyasa (politics), it is considered to be one of the three subsections in practical philosophy (see Y. Essid, A Critique of the origins of Islamic economic thought, Brill, Leiden, 2005, p. 182), and has its origin in Greek philosophical thought, where the organisation and administration of society and community was an important subject. Once adapted into Islamic traditional thought, various works were completed by a number of medieval Islamic scholars on the subject, including one by the famous scientist and philosopher Ibn Sina (Avicenna, d. 1037 AD), entitled Kitab al-Tadbir (Book of Economy).

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Ayyubid Poetry Diwan of Abul-Mahasin Ibn Unayn Syria, probably Damascus 12th century

Arabic manuscript on thick paper, 44 folios, 13 lines of naskh script per page with titles in elegant thulth, staining and wearing, incomplete at beginning and end 26.4 x 17.5 cm

This is an early fragment of the Diwan of Abul-Mahasin Ibn Unayn, a well-known satirical poet of the Ayyubid period, and a panegyrist of Salah al-Din (r. 1174-1193). The subtle flowing naskh script interlined with an elegant thulth is an exemplary precursor to the larger and bolder scripts that developed from the thirteenth century onward, during the Mamluk period. Ibn Unayn was best known through his satirical poetry, employing jokes, irony and mockery in order to ridicule the elite of society, including judges, preachers, and even rulers. As a result he was often accused of being an atheist, even though he frequently aimed his works against himself as well as his family members. Ibn Unayn composed riddles and topical poems, in which he often included historical and personal facts, particularly emphasizing his love for Damascus. Although not favourable toward collecting his works in diwan, Ibn Unayn eventually produced the Diwan, of which the present manuscript appears to be an early copy. Abul-Mahasin Ibn Unayn, whose name is Muhammad Ibn Nasrallah Ibn Makarim Sharaf al-Din alHurani al-Damishqi al-Ansari, was born in Damascus on 9 Shaban 549/19 October 1154. His lively and scathing satirical works were aimed at all members of society, including Salah al-Din, swiftly causing his banishment from Damascus. He eventually found favour with Saladins brother, Tughtakin, in Yemen, before he moved to Egypt, some time before the year 593/1197. Ibn Unayn was permitted to return to Damascus in 597/1201, after pleading with Saladins successor, al-Malik al-Adil. He was favourably received by al-Adils son, al-Malik al-Muazzam, the governor of Damascus, who employed Ibn Unayn as a wazir (court official). He died in Damascus on 4 January, 1233. (See Ibn Unayn, Encyclopedia of Islam, 2nd Edition)

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Khabar Mawlana al-QaimPerhaps Alamut or Syria Late 12th century

Arabic manuscript, on paper with 10 folios, each with 10 lines of neat naskh script in brown ink on buff paper. The verses are divided by small gold rosette. There are three headings written in gold thulth script within rectangular panels decorated with scrolling foliate motifs and cloud bands in brown ink. The opening page has a gold panel containing the title written in white thulth script, below which is a panel containing a dated inscription and further documentary information. The corners of the panel are decorated with split palmettes in brown and black ink. 17.5 x 13 cm

This manuscript contains a selection of prayers and hadith (traditions of the Prophet). It is one of a small group of three similar manuscripts, all of them containing Shii prayers and pious tracts. One of the other two is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the second is in a private collection (Sothebys, London, 3 May 2001, lot 27). The inscription on the opening page of the present manuscript records that it was read to a nobleman in the city of Ghazna in the month of Shaban in the year 602/March 1206. However, this note is in Persian, and in a different hand and a different ink from the main text, which is in Arabic. It does not necessarily locate the place of production as Ghazna, and since Ghazna and indeed all eastern Iran and Afghanistan was strongly Sunni under the muscular orthodoxy of the Ghurid dynasty and their Seljuk overlords, it is perhaps unlikely that a manuscript of strongly Shii prayers would be produced there. A clue to the origins of the manuscript is given in the illuminated headings at the beginning of the Metropolitan Museum volume mentioned above, which consist of the title and basmallah written in very fine Eastern Kufic script on a ground of gold scrolling floral motifs. Both the Eastern Kufic script and the scrolling decoration are distinctive, but very close in style to similar heading panels in the well-known illustrated copy of the Kitab al-Diryaq (Book of Antidotes) of Pseudo-Galen, produced in Mosul in the year 1199 AD, and now in the Bibliothque nationale in Paris (Ms. Arabe 2964; see R. Ettinghausen, Arab Painting, Milan 1962, pp. 84-85; M-G. Guesdon & A. Vernay-Nouri, LArt du Livre Arabe, Paris 2001, pp.112-13; 116-17; 130). The two Shii centres closest to Mosul around the year 1200 AD were the Ismailis at Alamut in north-western Iran and the Nizari Ismailis in the mountains of Syria. This was an interesting period in Ismaili history. In 1164 AD the imam (religious leader) of Alamut, Hassan II Ala Dhikrihil-Salam, introduced the doctrine of qiyama (resurrection on the Day of Judgement), and after this proclamation he hinted that he was the Qaim al-Qiyama. His son and successor Muhammad II (r. 1166-1210 AD) placed the doctrine of qiyama at the centre of his imamate and represented himself as the figure of the Imam al-Qaim. The titleKhabar Mawlana alQaim does not appear in the listings of known Ismaili texts, but the date of the manuscript (about 1200) fits very well into the chronology of the doctrine of qiyama and the figure of the Qaim alQiyama at Alamut. It should be noted that the doctrine of qiyama was also declared by the Nizari Ismailis in Syria. It is possible that this prayer book was the product of one of these Ismaili centres, echoing the artistic style of northern Iraq, but adapted to a much more petite and portable format; the portability of these prayer books would have suited the lifestyle of the Ismailis, being, as many were, peripatetic and often secretive in their proselytizing activity. Perhaps there was a scriptorium in either Alamut or Syria producing Shii texts especially for itinerant Ismaili emissaries and agents, to be carried with them on their travels and missions. A possible explanation for the manuscripts location in Ghazna in 1206 AD is to be found in the context of Ismaili activity in Afghanistan and the Punjab at this period. During the late twelfth and early thirteenth century the Ghurid armies under Ghiyath al-Din Muahmmad (r. 1163-1203 AD) had sacked the two Ismaili strongholds at Multan and Quhistan, and in the early thirteenth century there was Ismaili propagandizing and missionary activity in the mountainous regions between Ghazna and Lahore and down to the plains of north-west India around Multan. It is probable that this activity was organized by Ismaili emissaries of the Imam of Alamut. (W. Madelung, Ismailiyya, sub-section

Nizariyya, EI 2) Furthermore, the Sunni Ghurid Sultan Muizz al-Din was assassinated near the Indus on his way back from the Punjab in the year 1205 AD, allegedly by an Ismaili assassin just a few months before the opening inscription in this manuscript was written. (C.E. Bosworth, Ghurids, sub-section Ghurids as an imperial power, EI2)

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Majmu fi ashar wa-qasaid wa-ghazaliyyat wa-hikayatWritten by the scribe Musa al-Shabrakhiti al-Maliki Syria or Iraq Dated 1 Safar AH 651/ 6 May 1253 AD

Anthology of Poetry

Arabic manuscript on paper, 29 folios each with 21 lines of black naskh script, red dots between verses and paragraphs, catchwords (not corresponding between f. 9 and f. 10), waqf inscription on f. 2r; brown morocco binding, worn and repaired 20.6 x 15.5 cm

This early dated anthology of poetry contains a selection of various types of Arabic poetry. The contents of the volume are noted in the title, and include ashar (versified poems), qasaid (rhyming odes), ghazaliyat (love elegies), hikayat (poems about heroes or legends), and hamziyya (poem using the hamza in its rhyme scheme). The titles of several lamiyyat (poems rhyming in l) are noted on the title page in a different hand. The present copy includes al-Tughrais (d. 1121 AD) Lamiyyat al-Ajam and other texts. The penultimate line of the colophon gives the scribes name as Musa al-Shabrakhiti al-Maliki, whose name suggests a Syrian or Iraqi origin for the manuscript, and the date of copying as 1 Safar AH 651/ 6 May 1253 AD. Provenance The paper is characteristic of that produced in Spain during this period. F. 1r: ownership inscription, giving the name Qadi Abdul-Rauf Ahmad [?] and the date AH 1172 or 1758-9 AD; f. 2r: waqf inscription, stating that the manuscript was endowed by Emir Mustafa Aga al-Razaz; his seal impression appears on ff. 1v and 19v, dated AH 1192 or 1778 AD.

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Malik Ibn Anas al-Muwatta, The Approved Copied by Abd Allah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Kabun al-Tamimi Alexandria Dated Shaban AH 629/ May-June 1232 ADArabic manuscript on paper, 194 folios, 25 lines of sepia naskh script, copious marginal notes, later red morocco binding with flap 23.3 x 17.5 cm

This is an early complete dated copy from Ayyubid Alexandria of one of the seminal books of Islamic jurisprudence, or fiqh. The Muwatta is the magnum opus of Malik Ibn Anas (d. 795 AD), and one of the greatest Islamic corpus juris. Malik Ibn Anas was, next to the founders of the three other schools of lawHanafi, Shafii and Hanbali- one of the most important Muslim jurists and the eponymous founder of the Maliki madhhab, or school of Islamic law. Malik Ibn Anas spent his life dedicated to learning and preserving the traditions of the Prophet. He was in addition frequently referred to as the imam of Medina, where he spent the greater part of his life, and was for a period of years the teacher of fiqh to the founder of the Shafii maddhab, Abu Abdallah Muhammad Ibn Idris al-Shafii (d. AH 204/ 820 AD).

Al-Muwatta, meaning the Approved, is recognised as the earliest surviving Islamic judicial work. Essentially a legal treatise using hadith as its basis for judicial argument, the purpose of al-Muwatta was to propagate ibadat, or religious worship, and muamalat, or general law, according to the Sunni tradition. Written in the early stage of the articulation of Islamic law, the primary aim of the Muwatta was to infuse the whole of legal life with religious and moral ideas, and this doctrine is what was chosen

by the Abbasids as the necessary unified and organised judicial code across the Islamic empire. (For further reading on Anas Ibn al-Malik and the Maliki School, see N. Cottart, Malikiyya, EI2) This particular copy of al-Muwatta was produced in the early days of the reign of the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt (1169-1250 AD), which had restored Sunni Islam, after two centuries of Fatimid rule. The Maliki School dominated much of North Africa and the Maghreb during the Ayyubid and Marinid periods, and the present manuscript is a fascinating witness to the copying and authorization of legal scholarship during this epoch of development in Islamic legal thought. According to notes of ff.1r and 194r, the work underwent a process of textual authorization by a series of public readings. There is an inscription on f. 1 recording that these writings were first read by Zaki Abu Muhammad Abdallah Ibn Muhammad Abu Bakr Ibn Kaabun al-Tamimi to an assembly of learned men (which are listed) in AH 579/ 1183 AD, and was continued to be read and refuted by a number of scholars, the last reading of which took place 50 years later in Alexandria on Monday 11 Dhul Qada AH 629/ 1232 AD, the date this manuscript was completed. At the final session the scribe himself read the text aloud in the presence of professor Muhammad b. Ibrahim Abd al-Rahman b. Muhammad al-Ansari al-Tilimsani. Thirteenth-century signed and dated books of any type are very rare.

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The earliest and most complete copy knownThe Extent of Medical Knowledge (Kitab Kifayat al-Tibb) by Sheikh Kamal al-Din Badi alZaman Ilkhanid Iran Dated Tuesday 20 Rabi al-Akhir AH 663/ 11 February 1265 ADArabic and Persian manuscript on paper, 227 folios each with 30 lines of sepia naskh mostly arranged in a series of four columns above another two all with double red intercolumnar rule, a number of folios with different arrangement of text, headings and important words picked out in red or black, a number of folios with later notes inserted at the back, folios trimmed, some marginal repair, wear around the edges, minor areas of re-inking, in later black morocco with central stamped medallion, doublures of blue paper 30.5 x 21.5 cm

This large and impressive manuscript is the earliest and most important recorded copy of an Ilkhanid medical text known as the Kifayat al-tibb. Though the manuscript was extensively studied in Leipzig in 1910, it has never been published or noted in the literature. It is one of the most significant Islamic scientific manuscripts to appear in recent years. The author of this treatise, Sheikh Kamal al-Din Badi al-Zaman, is known by a number of works in Persian and Arabic, including medical works such as Kitab Taqwim al-adwiyah al-mufradah wa-al-aghdhiyah, The Tabulation of Medicaments and Foodstuffs, and the present work, Kitab Kifayat al-Tibb. The Kifayat al-Tibb consists of two sections, the first on the science of treatment and the second on nutrition and remedies (arranged alphabetically and in tables).

The first part discusses the purpose and the division of medicine, anatomy and physiology. This is followed by individual illnesses (mostly with both Arabic and Persian names), their causes, symptoms, and treatment; the organisation is the usual, beginning with the head and working downwards to the feet. Part two (kitab II) contains a description of the simple, then the compound drugs and foods, ordered alphabetically and by table. The second part is apparently an unrecorded text, and may be a major addition to the extant copies of medieval Islamic medical literature. The sequence of the chapters on illnesses and their treatment is the following: head and brain, eyes and eyelids; mouth; liver and spleen; intestine and anus; kidneys and bladder; male sexual organs; female sexual organs. This is followed by contagious and epidemic illnesses, such as smallpox, pests, and others, and fevers which result from fear, anxiety and worry. The author says that he discussed in the 224 chapters 360 illnesses in total. The treatise was composed in 550/1155 according to the colophon in a copy that is preserved in Tehran (see Fihrist-i kutub-i khatti-i Kitabkhanah-i Danishkadah-i Pizishki [cat. of the Med. Faculty lib., Tehran], compiled by Hasan Rahavard, Tehran, 1954, p. 373 no. 222). The Tehran manuscript was completed in 722/1322, with a colophon that states that it was composed for Abu al-Harith MalikShah. The same library in Tehran also has a second, defective, copy. There is a copy in the Chester Beatty Library (Persian cat. vol. 3, no. 311), which is dated 735/1335, and there is an incomplete, early 15th century copy in the Bodleian Library (MS. Pers. d. 94), three in Paris (E. Blochet, Catalogue des manuscrits persans de al Biblitheque Nationale, 1905-34), one copied in 905/1499, one in 955/1548, and one in 999/1590. There is also a defective, undated copy in Upsala. A colophon at the end of the first book in the present manuscript gives a date of Tuesday 20th Rabi al-Akhir AH 663, corresponding to 11 February 1265 AD, which makes it more than 50 years older than the hitherto earliest manuscript. There has been some disagreement as to how to write the authors name. The Oxford copy gives it as: Kamal al-Din Badi al-Zaman Abu al-Fadl Hubaysh ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Hubaysh almutatabbib al-Ghaznawi (a physician of Ghazna). Blochet gives it as Jamal al-Din ... In his Arabic compositions (such as the Taqwim copy in the Bodleian Library), his name is given as: Abu Fadl Hubaysh ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-mutatabbib al-Tiflisi (a physician of Tiflis). This presumably means that he was working in Tiflis when composing the tabular Arabic treatise Taqwim al-Adwiyah..., whereas he was working in Ghazna when composing the Persian-language treatise Kifayat al-Tibb. Because more attention has been given to his Arabic writings than to his Perisan ones, he is most often in bibliographic sources referred to as al-Tiflisi. See, for example, Brockelmann, GAL supl. i. 893, where his nisba is given as Tiflisi, and Manfred Ullmann, Die Medizin im Islam [Handbuch der Orientalistik, I, VI, 1] (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1970), p. 169. A scholars note by the Norwegian historian of medicine Adolf Fonahn (d. 1940), found in the present manuscript, and dated Leipzig, Germany, 1910, mentions that the text was composed by order of Sultan Abul Harith Malikshah. For a summary of information regarding al-Tiflisi/al-Ghaznawis Persian-language medical writings, see C. A. Storey, Persian Literature: A Bio-bibliographical Survey, Volume 2, Part 2: E. Medicine (London: Luzac, 1971), pp. 213-214.

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Western Iran, Mesopotamia or Syria Early 13th century

Sharh al-Isharat wal-Tanbihat (Remarks and Admonitions)

Al-Razis commentary on Ibn Sinas Physics and Metaphysics

Arabic in black naskh script on cream paper, titles and key words in red ink, 19 lines to the page, catchwords added in a later hand in bottom left of verso, some damage on f. 1, top left corner of some folios clipped, 130 folios, missing some text at the end 19 x 14cm

This is a well-preserved and early commentary on the Physics and Metaphysics of Ibn Sina, by the celebrated Islamic medieval theologians and exegetists, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi. The thick, burnished cream and pink paper and beautifully executed naskh script are characteristic of thirteenth century luxury scientific manuals produced for the learned elite of society. The quality and appearance of such manuscripts are a testament to the esteem in which scientific learning was held by men of wealth and power in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. This copy cannot have been completed long after Fakhr al-Din al-Razis death in 606/1209. The work is in the form of a commentary on the Kitab al-Isharat wal-Tanbihat of another illustrious Islamic polymath, the great Ibn Sina, known in the west as Avicenna. Ibn Sina, born in 370/980 near Bukhara, gained great fame throughout the Islamic and Western world through his scientific works, closely modelled on the traditional knowledge of the Greeks, who strived to unite philosophy with the study of science and nature. The Kitab al-Isharat was Ibn Sinas last great work in a philosophical vein and is considered by some to have been his most personal statement of his thought. Al-Razis Sharh, or Commentary, is largely taken up with examining and questioning the theories of physics and metaphysics

in Ibn Sinas work. The Sharh engendered a further commentary on the Kitab al-Isharat, this time by the great Shii scientist and statesman, Nasir al-Din Tusi, who was keen to defend Ibn Sinas Neo-Platonic theory of emanations from the criticism of al-Razi. Additional corrections and annotations have been placed in the margins of the present copy. Fakhr al-Din al-Razis reputation as an esteemed scholar earned him the sobriquet sheikh al-islam among his contemporaries, an honorific bestowed upon those considered to have superior knowledge of Islam and that which it encompassed. Born in 544/ 1149 in Rayy, near modern-day Tehran, he moved to Khwarazm where he incurred the hostility of the remainder of the Mutazili school with his defence of Sunni Asharism, a theological school founded by Abul-Hasan al-Ashari. Al-Razis peripatetic lifestyle led him to Sarakhs, Bukhara, Ghazna, Samarkand, India, and finally Herat. In these places he acquired both wealth, the respect of rulers like Ala al-Din Khwarazmshah and the Ghurid Sultan of Ghazna, Ghiyath al-Din, and fame as a theologian and opponent of the Kurrami heresy. As a Shafii and defender of Asharite theology, comparisons with Muhammad al-Ghazali (d. 505/ 1111) are obvious, though if anything, al-Razi went even further in adopting the tools of the philosophy in defending his theological stance.

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A Gift from the Marinid Sultan to the Qarawiyyin Mosque in FezThe Condemnation of Wealth and Miserliness from al-Ghazalis Ihya Ulum al-Din Morocco 13th century

Arabic manuscript on vellum, 17 lines of maghribi script to the page, 18 pages, later red morocco binding 24.4 x 18 cm

This volume, a section from al-Ghazalis magnum opus, the Kitab Ihya Ulum al-Din bears royal waqf (endowment) inscriptions stating that it was presented by the Marinid Sultan al-Muayyid al-Mansur Amir al-Muminin Abu Inan al-Mutawakkil to the prestigious Qarawiyyin mosque in Fez in the end of Rabi al-Awwal 751/ June 1350. Another inscription indicates that the volume had been owned by a certain Ali Ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Ibn Muhammad Ibn Yahya al-Shafii, who perhaps presented it to the Sultan. The use of costly vellum leaves no doubt that this was intended to be a prestige copy of alGhazalis work. Born in Tus, in the province of Khurasan, near the modern town of Meshhed, in 1058 AD, al-Ghazali moved to Baghdad after undertaking his education in various places. Under the Seljuq wazir and statesman Nizam al-Mulk (d. 1092 AD), al-Ghazali was appointed as professor in the Nizamiyya madrasa, the most important academic institution of the day, founded by Nizam al-Mulk (d. 1092 AD). Al-Ghazali was without doubt one of the greatest Islamic intellects, and equalled in his reputation as a mystic thinker only perhaps by Ibn al-Arabi. The present manuscript is a single volume from the Kitab Ihya Ulum al-Din, or The Revival of the Religious Sciences, al-Ghazalis most significant work. In this vast work al-Ghazali sought to harmonize Islamic mysticism with every aspect of Islamic law, theology and worship, stressing the spiritual nature of Islamic ritual and the search for knowledge. The work is

universally acclaimed as a landmark in the acceptance of Islamic mysticism in mainstream Islam, and must count as one of the most highly regarded and quoted religious texts from the medieval period onwards. Al-Ghazalis turn to mysticism took place following a period in which he was one of the most senior figures in Baghdad and a lecturer at the Nizamiyya Madrasa. In 1095 AD, however, al-Ghazali suffered from a lengthy nervous illness, after which he relinquished his public status and career to turn to mysticism. He moved to Syria, living a life of poverty and solitude, during which time he wrote the Ihya. He died in 1111 AD.

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The oldest surviving copyIbn Ridwans Commentary on Ptolemys Tetrabiblos, Books III & IV North Africa 13th-14th century

Arabic manuscript on paper, 100 folios, incomplete at end, 21 lines of brown Maghribi script to the page, 2 charts in brown and red ink, modern brown leather binding with original tooled leather covers 21.1 x 22.8 cm

On the evidence of the ownership notes, this beautifully produced manuscript is the oldest recorded surviving copy of Ali Ibn Ridwans famous Commentary on Ptolemys astrological work, the Tetrabiblos. Known as Haly Abenrudian, or simply Haly, in the West, Ibn Ridwan was author of several treatises, all drawing heavily on the Greek scientific tradition. Though Ibn Ridwan was primarily a physician, among his works translated into Latin, the Commentary on the Tetrabiblos was the most famous. It appears to have first been translated into Latin as part of the School of Toledo translation movement during the reign of Alfonso X of Spain (1252-84 AD), when it was copied alongside the Latin translation of Ptolemys original by the Italian Edigio de Tebladis. In 1493 AD it was printed in incunabula form in Venice, and subsequently reprinted and read all over Europe. Of recorded copies of the Commentary, the oldest version we have located appears to be the copy housed in the Millet Library, Ali Emiri, in Istanbul, dated 894/ 1488-89. The script, paper and covers of the present copy are no later than the fourteenth century AD. In faint ink on the title-page of the manuscript there appears to be a prognostication bearing a fragmentary date of the month Shawwal, year ....... and sevenhundred. This must have been added to the manuscript between the years 700/ 1301-799/ 1397, a date entirely consistent with the appearance of the manuscript.

Ptolemy (d. 168 AD) is one of the greatest geographers, astronomers and mathematicians of the Classical Period. The Commentary is an explication and expansion of the most challenging and mathematical of all Hellenistic astrological works. Ibn Ridwan defends Ptolemys thesis that a persons life and character is determined by the alignment of the heavens at the time of the persons birth, and goes further than Ptolemy in providing practical information in the drawing of charts. The final section of the manuscript, for example, is devoted to case studies, in which he examines his own life, as well as those of his mother, father, and two natives of Fustat, one of whom committed suicide. The position of the stars and planets is shown to have determined the character and fortune of each case, with full charts being provided for the last two. Ibn Ridwans interest in astronomy and his estimation of it as an exact science was not atypical for medieval scholars. In the Commentary Ibn Ridwan tells us that astronomy was an essential part of the curriculum for medical students. Ibn Ridwans particular fascination for the subject, as well as his inclusion of so much autobiographical detail, however, may have been inspired by the extraordinary nature of his own career. Born the son of a Giza baker in AH 388/ AD 998, Ibn Ridwan was apparently from an early age fascinated by signs of greatness that he saw in his own horoscope. These signs appeared to be vindicated by his extraordinary rise through the medical establishment, which reached a high point with his appointment as Chief Physician under the Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim. In the highly intellectual atmosphere of Fatimid Egypt, Ibn Ridwan was probably the most dedicated proponent of Hellenistic thought and science. This is borne out by his numerous works on Galenic medicine, astronomy, natural philosophy and politics, many of which, unfortunately, have not survived. Ibn Ridwans dedication to the Hellenistic tradition can also be partly explained through his personal circumstances. As a young man of humble origins, forced to pay for expensive tuition, Ibn Ridwan was disgusted at the medical professions lack of intellectual rigour. This led him to a path of self-education through first-hand study of the original sources, an approach that became the linchpin of all his scientific inquiry. This rigid reliance on the Hellenistic authors and his own research gave Ibn Ridwan the reputation for being highly disputatious. It was the side of Ibn Ridwans character that comes to the fore in a famous series of arguments held with the Syrian physician, Ibn Butlan, over the question of the body temperature of a chick in relation to that of an adult chicken! Adherence to the Greek authors became such an important part of Ibn Ridwans philosophy, that he would frequently put his own corrections or additions to their work in the words of the authors themselves. Bibliography Joseph Schacht & Max Meyerhof, The Medico-Philosophical Controversy between Ibn Butlan of Baghdad and Ibn Ridwan of Cairo (Cairo 1937) Ibn Ridwan, Medieval Islamic Medicine: Ibn Ridwans treatise on the prevention of bodily ills in Egypt, translated by Michael W. Dols, edited by Adil. S Gamal (California 1984) Jennifer Ann Seymour, The life of Ibn Ridwan and his commentary on the Tetrabiblos of Ptolemy, Ph.D. dissertation, Columbia University, 2001

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Al-Ghazalis Kimiyya-yi Saadat , The Alchemy of Happiness Copied by Muhammad bin Jamal al-Din bin Hafiz Mahmoud bin Jamal al-Din Ubaydi Probably Iran 14th century

Arabic and Persian manuscript on buff paper, 248 folios plus 3 fly-leaves, each folio with 20 lines of black naskh script, important words or phrases written in red ink or larger black naskh script, final folio signed Muhammad Ibn Jamal al-Din Ibn Hafiz Mahmoud IbnJamal al-Din Abidi, some waterstaining around the edges throughout, some folios discoloured, worn, end repaired, in brown morocco 24.8 x 17 cm

The Kimiyya-yi Saadat, or The Alchemy of Happiness, is a mystical work by al-Ghazali on the religious and moral duties of a believer, an abridgement of one of his most famous works, Ihya Ulum al-Din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences). Al-Ghazali (d. 1111 AD) was without doubt one of the greatest Islamic intellectuals, a formidable and respected theologian, and jurist, mystic as well as a religious reformer. He has been compared and equated with Ibn al-Arabi as one of the greatest Islamic mystic thinkers. The text of the Kimiyya-yi Sadat has a clear Sufi approach and is divided into a preface and four books, each of which is called rukn. The work is divided into the following chapters: I. II. III. IV. V. The Knowledge of Self The Knowledge of God The Knowledge of This World The Knowledge of the Next World Concerning Music and Dancing as Aids to Religious Life

VI. VII. VIII.

Concerning Self-Examination and the Recollection of God Marriage as a Help or Hindrance to the Religious Life The Love of God

Another copy of the work can be found in the Wellcome Institute (Fateme Keshavarz, A Descriptive and Analytical Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts in the Library of the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, London 1986, p. 527, no. 355).

(8995) 12

The poems of an Andalusi exile, with a commentary

Sharh Qasaid Ibn al-Murahhal

Copied by Muhammad Ibn al-Sheikh al-Zakariya Yahya Ibn Abdallah Bakr Morocco, probably Fez AH 743/ 1342 AD

Arabic manuscript on cream paper, 25 folios, 38 lines of small maghribi script to the page, with titles in red, gold and blue, opening folio and final page colophon in gold thulth script, both with gold interlace border and gold interlace marginalia, some watermarking on many pages, later red morocco binding with stamped floral medallions and flap 26 x 20.2 cm

This highly polished manuscript is an elegant survival of fourteenth-century Maghribi literary manuscript production. The opening and end of the manuscript are illuminated with inscriptions in large gold thulth script within ornamental panels of gold interlace. The poems are distinguished from the running commentary by a darker script and wider margins, and keywords are picked out in a range of gold, green and red. The prose text is a commentary on the collection of the qasidahs (a type of Arabic poem) by Ibn Murahhal al-Malaqi (d. 1300). A native of Malaga, Ibn Murahhal, like many of the talented Andalusis of his day, found service in North Africa at the court of the Marinids. The Islamic presence in Spain shrunk dramatically in the thirteenth century following the defeat of the Almohads at the Battle of Navas de Tolosa (1212), and by the end of the century only Granada, Almera and Malaga were in Muslim hands. Morocco, however, which had hitherto been Islamic Spains inferior neighbour, was unified under the Marinid dynasty, which played an increasingly important role in the affairs of Andalusia and succeeded in attracting Spanish luminaries to add en element of Andalusi elegance to North African cultural life. According to the great historian Ibn Khaldun, Ibn al-Murahhal was one of the last of the great Andalusian litterateurs to embark on this career path.

The illumination around the title and on the finispiece, as well as the beautiful execution of the script, would suggest that this manuscript was made for an important patron. On f. 1r the copyist has included a paragraph with a few biographical details concerning Ibn Murahhal. The copyist also implies that he transcribed the work from the original author, who it would seem was himself an acquaintance of Ibn Murahhal. At the end of the paragraph, praise is given to a certain Sheikh Abd al-Qadir al-Salaqi (?) alFasi (of Fez), and given Ibn Murahhals attachment to the Marinid court in Fez, it is likely that this manuscript was produced in Fez. The colophon gives the name of the scribe as Muhammad Ibn al-Sheikh al-Zakariya Yahya Ibn Abdallah Bakr, and the date of the completion of the manuscript as Jumadi al-Awwal (7)43 (November, 1342).

(8592) 13

An early pilgrimage manual to Mecca and Medina With 46 illustrations of talismanic and mystical tables Sultanate India or Central Asia Late 14th century

Persian manuscript on paper, 23 folios each folio with small diagrams in red, green and yellow, text written in black or red bihari script, incomplete at beginning and end, old repairs, later brown morocco binding 15.5 x 12 cm

This intriguing, perhaps unique, manuscript, the earliest known of its kind, is in part a pilgrimage manual with illustrations of holy places such as tombs of the prophets, sacred mountains of Safa, Marwa and Thawr, and partly a work on talismans, illustrated throughout with diagrams of protective charms. The work is without a title or any information on where and when it was executed. It is written in an attractive bihari-type script, characteristic of the Indian subcontinent. The fat horizontal stretching of some of the letters are reminiscent of Ilkhanid and Timurid scripts, examples of which can be seen in a Freer Shahnama and a Majma al-Tawarikh (see S. Canby, Princes, Poets and Paladins: Islamic and Indian Paintings from the Collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan, London, 1998, cat. nos. 3-5, pp. 23-25; cat. no. 10, p. 31), and Rashid al-Dins Jami al-Tawarikh (T.W. Lentz and G.D. Lowry, Timur and the Princely Vision: Persian Art and Culture in the Fifteenth Century, Los Angeles 1989, p.98). Some of the decoration and the colour palette with the strong ochre-red suggests an Indian provenance, whereas the drawings of tombs, stupa-like in appearance, suggest Afghanistan or Central Asia. A similar colour palette and style of decoration can be seen in a Quran scroll on cotton dating to circa 1395, sold in

Sothebys (15 October 1998, lot 15). The style of calligraphy also shows very similar qualities to that of the Sothebys Quran scroll. The work has a distinctly Shiite quality to it, with repeated invocation of the names of Hasan and Husayn. According to Barbara Schmitz, apart from pilgrimage certificates in scroll form which go back to at least the eleventh century AD, most of the earliest surviving pilgrimage manuals are only datable to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries such as Laris Futuh al-Haramayn which was dedicated to Sultan Muzaffar Ibn Mahmud Shah of Gujarat in 911/ 1505-1506. The present manual is therefore one of the earliest of its type (See Barbara Schmitz, Islamic Manuscripts in the New York Public Library, Oxford and New York, 1992, pp. 42-50.) According to the Encyclopedia of Islam, diagrams and tables such as those found in this manuscript are known as jadwal, into which names and signs possessing magic powers are inserted. These are usually certain mysterious characters, Arabic letters and numerals, magic words, the names of God, angels and demons, as well as of planets, the days of the week, and the elements. Surahs and verses from the Quran such as Surah al-Fatihah, Surah Yasin, and the Throne verse (Surah al-Baqarah, verse 255), are also included.

The illustrations and tables are as follows: f. 1r f. 1v f. 2r A numerical jadwal (table or plan) with each mystical number within a circle on green, yellow and red grounds A numerical jadwal surmounted by the basmallah and the shahadah and an inverted crescent with a Persian inscription in red ink A roundel with the Five Abbreviated Letters K. H. Y. A. S. which appear at the beginning of Surah Maryam. These letters are symbols of which the true meaning is only known by God. There also appears the shahadah and the names of the four Pious Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali A roundel with the name of the Prophet Muhammad within a square with the border incorporating the Throne verse (Surah al-Baqarah, The Heifer, verse 255)

f. 2v

f. 3r f. 3v f. 4r f. 4v f. 5r f. 5v f. 6r f. 6v f. 7r f. 7v f. 8r f. 8v f. 9r f. 9v f. 10r f. 10v f. 11r f. 11v f. 12r f. 12v f. 13r f. 13v f. 14r f. 15r f. 16v f. 17v f. 18v f. 19r f. 19v f. 20r f. 20v f. 21r f. 21v f. 22r f. 22v f. 23r f. 23v

A chart with two diagrams of the scales for weighing good and evil. A diagram of the prayer places and tombs of the Prophet, the Pious Caliphs and the Imams A diagram with the Victory verse (Surah al-Saff, The Battle Array, verse 13) written twice in red ink A diagram of the Prophets tomb in the shape of a stupa A numerical jadwal surmounted by invocations to God and the Prophet A numerical jadwal surmounted by invocations to God A coloured diagrams with rings? A diagram with standards and a bow and arrow A numerical jadwal with mystical numbers copied in black and red ink A chart with a verse from the Quran on loans (Surah al-Baqarah, The Heifer, verse 245) A drawing of a tomb under an elaborate arch surmounted by circular standards A diagram of Ibrahims mosque with the word ya fattah, the Opener or Conqueror (one of the attributes of God), written twice in black ink within a circle with yellow borders A diagram with the word Imam written four times followed by the attributes, malik, shafi, khalifah and azam A diagram of holy places at the sacred mountains at Safa and al-Marwa near Mecca A diagram showing the tomb of Ibrahim A diagram showing a shrine with four tombs including that of Ibrahim, Qasim and Tahir A diagram of Jabal Thawr, which has a cave where the Prophet hid from his enemy Quraysh A diagram illustrating six standards and the words Alim Padishahwritten next to each standard A numerical jadwal with mystical numbers copied in black ink each incorporated in a circle within a green, black, red or yellow square A diagram with the names of the Pious Caliphs in the four corners, borders decorated with scrolling in black, central roundel with a continuously written word talha A diagram with Allah written within a roundel flanked by the names of the Pious Caliphs, borders decorated with floral scrolls in red, green and black A diagram showing three inverted hearts surrounded with selected numbers on ground decorated with red hatching A rectangular diagram decorated with red hatching incorporating two roundels incorporating selected words and the number seven, borders decorated with floral scrolls A rectangular diagram decorated with red and black hatching, borders with invocations to God and the Prophet A diagram with the words Allah and Muhammad A diagram with the word ya ghafur, Oh, Forgiving One! (one of the attributes of God) A diagram with central rectangular panel decorated with red hatching incorporating selected words and numbers A diagram with two central roundels incorporating selected words and numbers A diagram with a central medallion incorporating talismanic inscriptions and flanked by the names of the Pious Caliphs A diagram with invocations to God and talismanic inscriptions A diagram with invocations to God and the Prophet and selected numbers A diagram the names of the Pious Caliphs and talismanic inscriptions and numbers A diagram incorporating the verse: God! There is no God but He, the Living, the Selfsubsisting, Eternal (surat al-Baqarah, The Heifer, verse 255) A diagram with a central roundel incorporating a mystical word, and flanked by the names of the four Pious Caliphs A diagram incorporating mystical numbers and words including that relating to the wicked and evil A jadwal consisting of 9 squares incorporating mystical words and numbers A diagram incorporating mystical numbers and letters, and the name of the prophet Suleyman (Solomon), and the Pious Caliphs

(5925) 14

A volume from al-Bukharis al-Sahih Made for Abul-Abbas al-Qabaili, the Chamberlain of the Marinid Sultan Morocco AH 796/ 1394-5 ADArabic manuscript on paper, 15 lines of a spacious maghribi script in black ink, keywords in red and blue ink, the name of God in gold ink, fully vocalised with diacritics, small gold teardrops as section markers; with colophon, geometrical gold panel on last folio with gold medallion; some marginal notes, 18th-century red morocco binding with stamped central medallion and gold ruled edges 5.7 x 19 cm

This is a finely written and illuminated volume from the canonical collection of hadith (Prophetic traditions), al-Bukharis al-Jami al-Sahih, and this copy was made for one of the most important men of the state in late fourteenth-century Marinid Morocco. The final page of the manuscript reads that it was copied for the library of the Scholar, the Exalted Hajib (chamberlain), Imam of our Community, Our Sayyid and our Pillar .... Abul-Abbas Ahmad Ibn al-Shaykh al-Alim al-Alim ..... Abul-Hasan alQabaili. The position of hajib differed in duties from place to place in the Islamic world, encompassing duties such as supervision of the palace and its finances, and court ceremony. In Marinid Morocco, the hajib acted as a close and personal advisor to the Sultan. The quality of the script, illumination and paper are consonant with a patron of the highest rank. In large, spacious maghribi script, the text has been enlivened with keywords in red and blue. The word Allah has been picked out in gold and the start of each chapter is marked with the kind of pointed gold teardrop devices found on contemporary illuminated Qurans. On the final page, the name of the patron is followed by the date 796/1394-5, which is enclosed within a panel of gold strap work. The Jami al-Sahih Al-Bukharis most famous work is the Jami al-Sahih. It is one of six canonical collections of hadith recognised in Sunni Islam, which recounts the sayings and actions of the prophet Muhammad. Sahih means sound, and refers to the authors intention of including only traditions considered to be the authentic words and actions of the Prophet, according to the reliability of hadith transmitters leading back to the original transmitter. Al-Bukhari apparently chose his traditions from as many as 600,000, and his work contains 7,397 traditions with complete chains of transmission, of which 4,635 are repetitions. The entire work, of which the present manuscript contains part 7, is divided into 97 books with 3,450 chapters, with traditions arranged according to subject matter. The majority of the Jami alSahih concerns ritual and legal matters of Islamic law, and smaller sections dealing with questions of theology, Quran exegesis, and the life of Muhammad. Al-Bukharis work is generally accepted by Sunnis as the most authoritative book after the Quran. (Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari. Encyclopedia of World Biography, Thomson Gale, 2004.)

(8511) 15

Al-Qamus al-Muhit, The Great Dictionary of al-FiruzabadiEastern Mediterranean Circa AH 800/ 1400 AD

Arabic manuscript on paper, 426 leaves, 35 lines to the page written in small naskh script, letters and significant words picked out in red or written in a bolder and thicker black ink, headings picked out in blue throughout, inner borders ruled in blue and gold, catchwords in outer margins, occasional commentaries written at a later date in margins, one illuminated headpiece in colours and gold incorporating an invocation to God in kufic in white, slight waterstaining mostly restricted to outer margins otherwise in good condition, brown morocco with stamped central medallions, pendants, and corner pieces of leather inlay decorated with floral motifs 29.5 x 19.3 cm

Al-Firuzabadis al-Qamus al-Muhit represents one of the major medieval landmarks in providing a systematic lexicon for the Arabic language. Encyclopaedic in nature, the work encompasses a vast vocabulary, including numerous geographical, scientific, zoological and botanical terms. Al-Firuzabadi named his dictionary al-Qamus al-Muhit, the Expansive Ocean, with reference to the works rich vocabulary and inclusive nature. Al-Firuzabadis dictionary proved to be so popular in subsequent years that the word qamus, or ocean, came to be adopted as the Arabic term for encyclopaedia or dictionary. Judging by the script and illumination, this magnificent copy was probably made during the authors lifetime.

Efforts in subsequent centuries to update the Arabic lexicon almost entirely took al-Firuzabadis work as the starting point; Murtada al-Zabidis (d. 1206/1791) Taj al-Arus min Jawahir al-Qamus is essentially an expansion of the Qamus. Likewise, when the Lebanese scholar Butrus al-Bustani (d. 1301/1883) sought to create an Arabic dictionary that followed the European arrangement, the work he created was largely fashioned out of al-Firuzabadis Qamus (see J. Eckmann, Kamus, EI2). Al-Firuzabadis dictionary was based on the classification of words according to the final radical of the root, followed by the first and then intermediate radicals. This classification, first used in the fourth/tenth century by al-Jawhari in his Sahah, was particularly useful to poets in that it provided a lexicon of rhyming words. The dictionary has been published many times, translated (into Persian and Turkish) and made the basis of several European dictionaries, including the Thesaurus linguae Arabicae of A. Giggeius (Milan 1632). The calligraphy and illuminated heading in this large and spacious manuscript point to a date of production of circa 800/1400 in the Mamluk or early Ottoman Eastern Mediterranean lands. Al-Firuzabadi was born near Shiraz in 729/1328 and educated in Baghdad; in 750/1349 he went to Jerusalem with his teacher and remained there for ten years. Thereafter he travelled all over the Islamic world to such places as Cairo, Anatolia, Mecca, and even Delhi, where he was received with respect by the great leaders of the day, including Timur in Shiraz and the Jalairid ruler of Baghdad, Sultan Uways. In 796/1394 he set sail to Yemen, where he was appointed chief qadi, residing in the Sultans residence and eventually marrying his daughter. In 802/1400, however, he returned to Mecca, going on pilgrimage and setting up a Maliki madrasa (school) there. He died in 817/1415, with a reputation as an extraordinarily learned and charismatic figure. Though the author of a prodigious number of works on a variety of subjects including tafsir (exegesis) and history, it was in lexicography that he truly excelled. Two later ownership inscriptions and seal impressions are located on the final folio of this copy. One of these is an ownership inscription by Mustafa Ibn Hussein written in Egypt, with a seal impression which can be dated to the sixteenth or seventeenth century; the other inscription is by Mir AbdulRasul Ibn Hajji Mir Qadim at dar al-sultanah, probably Persia, and is dated 1223/ 1808.

(13468) 16

The Cosmography of Ibn al-Wardi

Kharidat al-Ajaib wa Faridat al-Gharaib, The Pearl of Wonders and the Uniqueness ofThings Strange Western Mediterranean Early 15th century Including a colour map of the world and a diagram of the Kaba

Arabic manuscript on thick cream paper, 267 folios with 17 lines of naskh script in black and red ink with headings in an elegant thulth hand, red dots marking end of sentence, chapter headings in large bold muhaqqaq in black ink, marginal notes in maghribi script in sepia ink, later stamped and tooled gilt leather binding, excellent condition 19.5 x 16 cm

This is a contemporary copy of an illustrated cosmography, and perhaps the earliest to survive of the great geographer Ibn al-Wardi (d. probably 1457 AD). It includes a double-page colour map of the world, an illustration of the Kaba, as well as a diagram of the strategic game of chess, with an explanation of the chess pieces and their moves. In addition to a compendium of place names, seas and mountains, the author has also included a description of the flora and fauna of the places he describes. Throughout the work, the author refers to various historians and geographers, such as al-Masudi (d. circa 956 AD), Ibn al-Adhim (d. 1262), and Ibn Hawqal (died end of the tenth century). The original work is said to have been completed around the year 1419 AD, as stated on the earliest known copy which is dated 1479 AD (cited in R. Sellheim, Arabische Handschriften: Materialen zur Arabischen Literaturgeschichte, Wiesbaden, 1976-87, Vol. I, pp. 184), where the author is given as Abu Hafs Umar ibn Muhmmad ibn al-Wardi, and a manuscript from 1487 AD, where the author is given as Siraj

al-Din Abu l-Hafs Umar Ibn Muzaffar Ibn Muhammad ibn Umar Ibn Abi l-Fawaris Ibn al-Wardi, who was active in Aleppo, and died circa 1457 AD. The paper of the present manuscript can be clearly located to Spain no later than the middle of the fifteenth century. The work has also been attributed to an earlier author, Zayn al-Din Abu Hafs Umar Ibn al-Muzaffar Ibn al-Wardi, who died in 1348 AD, but according to the 1479 and 1487 copies of the Kharidat, this author would pre-date the original work. The type of paper used here, which is a style associated with fourteenth and fifteenth century Spain, and the style of calligraphy which points to a fourteenth century hand, suggest this copy was produced during the fourteenth or fifteenth century, and may thus indicate the earlier authorship. Though the identity of the author is still uncertain, at the very least the physical evidence of our copy would indicate either that it is a very early edition of the later Ibn al-Wardi, perhaps copied within a few years of the original, or that it is an edition of the earlier author, completed within less than a century of his death.

Islamic sacred geography differs from the Ptolemaic tradition in that it does not employ cartographic grids, or longitude and latitude scales; as a rule, these used Mecca and the Kaba as the centre of the world. The tradition is generally associated with tenth century scholars such as al-Balkhi, al-Istakhri, alMuqaddasi, Ibn Hawqal, and the ninth century geographer Ibn Khurdadhbeh (d. 912 AD) who devised the earliest known geographical work using the Kaba as the centre of the world in his Kitab al-Masalik wal-Mamalik. These geographical works neglected to include coordinates or to employ mathematical geography in the maps, and bear great similarity to the simpler-produced maps of medieval Europe (D.

King, World maps and finding the direction and distance of Mecca: Innovation and tradition in Islamic science, Leiden, 1999, pp. 36-38). The Kharidat al-Ajaib appears also to draw heavily on the Jami al-Funun of Najm alDin al-Harrani al-Hanbali, who lived in Egypt in circa 1332 (see Ibn al-Wardi, EI2). Between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries, the study of Islamic geography often extended to include cosmology, cosmogony, astrology and similar subjects, rather than the production of purely geographical works which were characteristic of earlier periods. These cosmological works seem to have been produced for the average lay reader as organized compendia of world knowledge, rather than critical scientific works, and relied heavily on earlier sources. (Fr. Taeschner, Djughrafiya, EI2) The text and map in the present manuscript suggest a medieval precursor; old place names and archaic descriptions occur frequently. The map towards the beginning, seen on ff. 3v-4r, shows a circular world divided into Europe, Africa and Asia. Its sense of proportion is highly schematic, and the location of certain places is rather unusual, but Spain (al-Andalus), Constantinople (Qustantaniyyah) and the River Nile are all approximately where one might expect. The world is shown surrounded by water, with an outer boundary of mountains, seen here as the polychrome outer border. In addition to the extensive chapter on geography, the Kharidat al-Ajaib contains a chapter on the types of birds and other animals that exist in the places that the author has described. The inclusion of a small section explaining the game of chess, including a detailed drawing, has not been recorded in other copies of Ibn al-Wardis cosmography. The large circular diagram with the Kaba at its centre, shown on f. 64r, shows the direction of prayer to Mecca (qiblah) from different countries, seen here in 35 sectors. The sectors are associated with the north, south, east and west walls of the Kaba. The region between North Africa and Syria is associated with the north-west wall of the Kaba, with a qiblah from east to south. The region between Iraq and Afghanistan is connected with the north-east wall of the Kaba and has a qiblah from south to west. India, Tibet and China are associated with the Black Stone in the eastern corner of the Kaba, with a qiblah pointing slightly northwest. A fourth region, the Yemen, the Hadramawt, Aden and Socotra are linked with the southern corner of the Kaba, with a qiblah pointing north. (D. King, Islamic Sacred Geography, in Makka, EI2). A later ownership inscription on the inside of the back doublure is dated 1090/ 1679. Several inscriptions on the inside of the front doublure exist in a later maghribi hand; one of these refers to one unidentified individual by the name of Ibn al-Mamun. The final page bears a partial reference to the owner or scribe of the manuscript, whose name appears to be al-Qawariqi. In addition to the two dated copies mentioned earlier, further copies of the Kharidat al-Ajaib include one in the Vatican Library dating to the eighteenth century, one of a similar date (1778 AD) in the National Library of the Czech Republic, as well as one in the Library of Congress, which is undated. There are also several examples in the Chester Beatty Library, dating from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries; and several examples are cited in C. Brockelmann, Geschichte der Arabischen Literatur, Vol. II, Leiden, 1938, pp. 162-163.

Explanation of the game of chess

(13372) 17

A Diwan of Hafez Signed Ghiyath Ibn Bayazid Sarraf Iran Second or third quarter of the 15th centuryPersian manuscript on paper, 186 folios with 12 lines of black nastaliq in gold ruler, with headings in gilt in cloud band on a red cross-hatched ground, opening folio with inscribed lozenge-shaped shamsah, following folio with illuminated heading split-palmette scrolls on a ground of red, black and red, brown leather tooled binding, some damp marking but in fair condition 16.5 x 10.7 cm

This exquisitely executed manuscript is an early copy of the Diwan of Hafez, one of the most famous works of poetry in literary history. It was first composed by Shams al-Din Muhammad Hafez al-Shirazi (circa 1315-1391 AD), one of the most celebrated and renowned Persian poets, and a writer considered to be unsurpassed in the art of the ghazal (elegiac love poem) form. The present manuscript contains approximately 497 ghazals. Several manuscripts exist dating from the second or third quarters of the fifteenth century, no more than 60 years after the death of Hafez, but those containing less than 500 poems are considered to be closest to the original Diwan. (G.M. Wickens, Hafiz, EI2)

The lozenge-shaped illuminated shamsah on the opening page contains an inscription with a dedication to the owner: Sahibihi wa malikihi mawlana Shams al-Din Muhammad Savaji. This translates as: The owner and patron is Mawlana Shams al-Din Muhammad Savaji. Although it is not known who Mawlana Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Savaji was, his spiritual title, mawlana (our lord or master), suggests he was a respected leader or scholar in a religious institution such as perhaps a madrasa or a dar al-ilm. The illuminated floral scroll decoration around the inscription panel of the shamsah is characteristic of Timurid decoration of the early fifteenth century. For similar examples see Thomas W. Lentz & Glenn D. Lowry, Timur and the Princely Vision: Persian Art in the Fifteenth Century, Los Angeles, 1989, cat. no. 18, 42, 55; David James, After Timur: Qurans of the 15th and 16th centuries, London 1992, cat. nos. 7 and 18; David J. Roxburgh, The Persian Album: From Dispersal to Collection, London, 2005, pp. 36, 67, fig. 34). The scribe, Ghiyath Ibn Bayazid Sarraf, is recorded in a copy of the Shahnama now in the British Library (Add.18.188) which is signed Ghiyath al-Din Ibn Bayazid Sarraf, and is dated 2nd Jumadi 891(June 1486). This Shahnama has been attributed to Shiraz and Herat by different scholars; the Persian scholar Yahya Zoka rejects the Shiraz attribution and suggests either Herat or Anatolia (published on the internet in a Persian article on a copy of the Khavaran-nama written in 1426-27 AD). Based on the comparison with the British Library Shahnama, one can attribute a fifteenth century date to the present Diwan of Hafez. Although numerous other inscriptions throughout the manuscript indicate that it was once in Turkey and was owned by Ottomans, the manuscript itself was most likely produced in Persia. The name Bayazid, although a popular Ottoman name, also belonged to two other recorded scribes with the name Bayazid: one Bayazid Dawri was from Herat and another, Bayazid Purani, worked in Bukhara. The name Ghiyath al-Din, a popular Persian name in the fifteenth century, also points to an Iranian origin for this superb copy of the Diwan of Hafez.

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Firaq-nama, The Book of Separation

by Salman Savaji Copied by Yaqub b. Muhammad Darvish al-Hafiz al-Saraji Samarqand Dated Rabi al-Awal 835/ November-December 1431 AD

On fine polished paper, 112 folios, 19 or fewer lines of nastaliq in black ink, in one and two columns, gold rulings between verses and columns, framed in gold and blue, with catchwords in a wide outer margin. Illuminated headpiece in blue, white, gold and green. Slight staining on a few pages in outer margin, otherwise in very good condition. 16th century brown morocco binding, corner pieces and central medallions, latterly painted gold, rebacked and rubbed at edges. 22.4 x 13.4 cm

This is an exquisitely illuminated Timurid copy of the Firaq-nama, a poem in long verse written to console Sultan Uvais, the Jalairid ruler of Iraq (1356-74) and Azerbaijan (1360-1374), for the loss of his beloved. The colophon records that the manuscript was copied in Samarqand in 1431, by Yaqub b. Muhammad Darvish al-Hafiz al-Saraji, a previously unrecorded scribe. Samarqand was at that time governed by Ulugh Beg (d. 1449), the grandson of Timur. The author, the reputable panegyrist Jamal al-Din Salman Savaji (d. 1376), who was primarily known for his skill in poetry of short form, was a eulogist of the Jalayrids, and first completed the Firaq-nama work in 1359-1360. (J. Rypke, History of Iranian Literature, Dordrecht, 1968, pp. 261) The illuminated heading displayed in the present manuscript, consisting of a lobed lapis cartouche set in a rectangular gold and red floral background under blue and polychrome arabesque scrolling, is characteristic of the superior craftsmanship for which artists employed by the Timurid prince Ulug Beg were suitably renowned. The unusual style of the leaves in the lobes of the cartouche, as well as the uncommon use of red in the gold background, reflect the wide diversity of the artistic repertoire of the period, with artists from lands across the Timurid Empire, such as Anatolia, Western Iran and Central Asia, working under the patronage of the Timurid court. The fine, regular nastaliq hand, and the expense of producing the fine quality, thin, highly burnished cream paper further point to a commission by a wealthy member of society.

For another later example of a Firaq-nama dating to the last quarter of the fifteenth century, see B. Schmitz, Islamic and Indian Manuscripts and Paintings in The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, 1997, cat. no. 4, pp.27-28, figs. 43-44.

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Manuscript of two mystical Diwans Western Iran Dated AH 874/ 1469 AD

Persian manuscript on paper, 119 leaves, 13 lines to the page written in two columns of nastaliq script, interlinear and intercolumnar rules in gold throughout, margins ruled in gold, catchwords; two illuminated headpieces in colours and gold, one smudged; one illuminated shamsah; trimmed, some worming and slight smudging, otherwise in good condition. Brown morocco binding with flap, covers laid with marbled paper 16 x 10.2 cm

The manuscript contains the diwans, or poetical collections, of Muhammad Shirin Maghribi (d. 1406-7) and Azari (d. 1462). Both authors were renowned Persian mystical poets who found favour at the major courts of Iran and India in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. Though several works by both Maghribi and Azeri have survived, this manuscript contains a very rarely recorded copy of the Diwan-i Maghribi, and a previously unrecorded copy of a diwan of Azari. Muhammad Shirin Maghribi was born in Ammand, near Lake Urumiyya in eastern Azerbaijan, around 1346. He is considered to be one of the most important fourteenth century Persian Sufi poets, whose most famous works drew inspiration from the great mystical thinker Ibn al-Arabi (d. 1240), which in accordance to Ibn al-Arabis principles focussed on wahdat al-wujud, or the Unity of Being. (L. Lewisohn, Shirin Maghribi, Muhammad, EI2). The Diwan-i Maghribi, of which very few recorded copies exist (Bodleian Library, Ms. Ouseley Add. 175, dated 1521; Leiden University Library, Ar3739/Or.12.067, dated 1406) is considered to be his most celebrated work. He died some time between 1406 and 1408. Nur al-Din Azari Tusi, a Shiite Sufi poet, was active between 1382 and 1462. He was considered for the position of court poet by the Persian ruler Shahrukh (r. 1405-1407), but became influenced by the

Sufi Shaykh Muhyi al-Din Tusi Ghazali. During travels in India, he was appointed as poet-laureate by the Deccani king Shah Bahmani (r. 1417-1435), who commissioned Azari to write the Bahman-nama, a history of the Bahman dynasty. He was awarded large sums of silver and slaves upon his departure to return to Khurasan, and with this wealth, Azari commissioned the construction of houses and hospices for the poor, dervishes, pilgrims and students, for whom he also provided endowments. He died in Khurasan in 1461-2, and was buried in one of his foundations. (A. A. Rajai, Azari, Encyclopaedia Iranica) Although he was a prolific writer, this diwan is not among his previously recorded work. The present manuscript is a fine example of an early Turkman manuscript and is notable for its light cream, high quality polished paper, beautiful nastaliq script, neat and yet subtly varied format. The illuminated shamsah on the opening folio has been delicately finished with blue, brown and black floral and arabesque scrolling, using a colour palette characteristically seen in Turkman illumination. Similar detail can be seen in the illuminated headings, where the illuminated cartouche is contained in a knotwork border, comparable to the Ilkhanid style, by which Turkman art was influenced; the illuminated scrolling between the columns on ff. 1v and 2r also reflect a decorative repertoire reminiscent of Ilkhanid work. The textual arrangement provided by the interlinear and intercolumnar margins ranges from simple uninterrupted double columns to boxes of text ordered in a ladder-like composition (see, for example, ff. 81r, 82v). The manuscript contains several marginal notes in Ottoman and Persian, and bears the date 22 Jumadi al-Thani 874/ 27 December 1469 (f. 76a).

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Nizamis Khamsah, The Quintet comprising five Masnawi poems in Persian North or Western India Late 15th century 23 miniatures

On Indian unpolished tan coloured paper, 271 folios each with 21 lines of a clear, consistent and well-formed nastaliq, in black ink, rubrication in red or blue naskh, in 4 columns within double red inner and single blue outer rules. The manuscript opens (ff. 1v, 2r) with a double-page illuminated sarlouh after an illuminated shamsah (f.1r). 4 illuminated title pages, 23 miniatures, worming on many pages, loose without binding 24.6 x 16 cm

One of the few surviving illustrated books from Sultanate period India, this manuscript contains 23 miniatures in a Sultanate style of painting that combines both Mamluk Egyptian and Persian features. It has been discussed and reproduced in E. Brac de la Perrire, Lart du livre dans lInde sultanats, Paris, 2008, pp. 62-65; pp. 118-119.The pages with miniatures were numbered at an early date in black ink and renumbered later with Hindi numerals. On the basis of these numerals the manuscript originally contained at least 69 miniatures of which at least 64 remained when they were renumbered in North India, possibly in the eighteenth century. Nothing is known about previous owners of the manuscript in India. A circular seal impression on f. 1r is now illegible as is part of another cut off by the repair of the outer margin. An owners note on f.1v has been largely removed by the same marginal repair. Another on f. 271v in a casual nineteenth century hand records that the manuscript was owned by a certain Mulla Mohammed Idris Ibn Idris, who appears to have resided in Saharanpur north of Delhi. A further late inscription on f. 271v lists a variety of herbs together with prices or quantities. A bold and sprawling comment beneath the final verse of Layla

wa Majnun bears some resemblance to the handwriting of the Emperor Jahangir within whose reign it falls but there is no evidence elsewhere that the manuscript has ever formed part of the Mughal royal library. It reads On the date of the 4th Jumadi the second of the year 1031 (16th April 1621 AD) I commenced (it) on Saturday .....rahim [erased] Allah.

A number of illustrated pages (now dispersed) were removed from the manuscript before 1965 when the concluding illustration to the Iqbalnama was published by the then owner (see Stuart Cary Welch and Milo Cleveland Beach, Gods, Thrones and Peacocks: Northern Indian Painting from two traditions: fifteenth to nineteenth centuries, Asia Society, New York 1965, pp. 57 and 115, no. 2). Following the sale of paintings from the collection of Cary Welch (Sotheby & Co., Catalogue of Fine Indian and Persian Miniatures and a Manuscript Selected from the well-known collection of Cary Welch, London, 12th December, 1972, lots 178-181) a total of four miniatures became known of which two (179-180) entered the Keir Collection (B. W. Robinson, ed., Islamic Painting and the Arts of the Book, London, 1976, III. 205, 206, pp. 173-4, pl. 46) and one (lot 178) entered the Binney Collection (Indian Miniature Painting From the Collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd: The Mughal and Deccani Schools with some related Sultanate material, Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 1973, p. 20, no. 5). A fifth miniature was seen with R.E. Lewis of San Francisco in 1976. Four more pages appeared on the market in 1977 (Sothebys, Fine Oriental Miniatures Manuscripts and an important Quran, London, 20th July, 1977, lots 92-3, and Sothebys Catalogue of Indian Miniatures, London, 7th December, 1977, lots 114-115). In 1978 a further miniature was sold by P. & D. Colnaghi (see Falk, T., Smart, E.S., Skelton, R., Indian Painting, Mughal and Rajput and a Sultanate Manuscript, P. & D. Colnaghi, London, 1978, no. 1) and entered a private collection from which it was sold in 1997 (Sothebys Catalogue of Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures, London, 23 April 1997, lot 1). Another illustrated folio was sold by P. & D. Colnaghi to the Victoria and Albert Museum (I.S. 31-198-0). For miniatures incorrectly ascribed to this manuscript, see Stanislaw Czuma, Indian Art from the George Bickford Collection, Cleveland

Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, 1975, no. 43, and Sothebys catalogue Indian Himalayan South-East Asian Art and Indian Miniatures, New York, 21 September 1985, lot 447, where a page from the Benares Shahnama (M. Chandra, Studies in Early Indian Painting, London, 1970, pl. X) is also cited as being from this manuscript. The manuscript containing these miniatures belongs to a small group of which the first and best known is a dispersed Khamsah of Amir Khusraw that came to light with an attribution to early fourteenth century Northern India in the Royal Academys Persian Exhibition of 1931 (L. Binyon, J.V.S. Wilkinson & B. Gray, Persian Miniature Painting, Oxford, 1933, p. 43, no. 21). It was a particularly prescient attribution, made long before the existence of Sultanate painting became recognised, and it in fact conflicted with Binyons view that the pre-Mughal Sultans were hostile to miniature painting. The illustration in question had previously been identified as Mongol by Migeon and there does appear to be some input from the fourteenth century Ilkhanid school of Shiraz under the Inju dynasty, but the main stylistic formulae adopted by the illustrators of the manuscript are those of Mamluk Egypt with which there were flourishing trading contacts during the Sultanate period. There is now general agreement that the manuscript should be attributed to the midfifteenth century, with opinions regarding its place of production being largely divided between Delhi and Western India. It has also been assumed that it was produced in a bourgeois rather than a courtly context, the text written in rather a careless and unsophisticated version of nastaliq, which with one or two exceptions appears almost a century later in India than when it was first developed in Iran (circa 1400). The Indian sultans appear to have had difficulty in obtaining the services of the finest painters but judging from their monumental inscriptions skilled calligraphers appear to have been more readily available. Another feature of the manuscript which falls short of both Mamluk and Iranian standards is the decoration of the illuminated headings (G.D. Lowry, M.C. Beach, R. Marefat, W.M. Thackston, An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, 1988, figs. 192, 196), which in some respects resemble those of unillustrated manuscripts produced in Jaunpur during the fifteenth century. Also in all these respects it shares close affinities with an illustrated manuscript of Jalal al-Din Rumis Masnawi that appeared on the Paris art market in 1988 (unpublished). If these two manuscripts are the earliest known examples of this Mamluk-influenced group, four pages from a Shahnama in the Bharat Kala Bhavan are probably not much later and exhibit scarcely any difference in style (Anand Krishna, An Early Ragamala Series in Ars Orientalis, IV, 1961, figs. 37-9; K. Khandalavala & Moti Chandra, New Documents of Indian Painting A Reappraisal, Bombay 1969, figs 127-8). By contrast with these, a manuscript of Nizamis Khamsah in the Biblioteca dellAccademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome (Eredita dellIslam: Arte islamica in Italia, a cura di Giovanni Curatola, 1993, pp. 224-5, no. 224), is clearly from a more sophisticated atelier. Its text is written in a fine nastaliq enclosed within carefully drawn gold rules and the published miniature continues the style of the two earlier manuscripts in a more refined and disciplined manner. Apart from the use of gold marginal rules these are qualities that it shares with the present manuscript. In the case of both, the employment of a scribe capable of writing in a neat, fully-developed nastaliq hand indicates a date towards the close of the fifteenth century, when refined versions of that script became more available in India. In addition to the typically Iranian calligraphic style the illustrations of the present manuscript also show an increasing degree of Iranian influence. Although a quarter of the miniatures have the banded sky convention found in the three earlier Mamluk-influenced manuscripts, an equal number have the Chinese cloud motif found in Timurid painting. At their best, the miniatures have a freshness and expressiveness not seen in the earlier group but an even clearer indication of new and rising standards of book production is evidenced by the quality and character of the illuminated medallion, the frontispiece and headings, which all show clear affinities with contemporary Timurid manuscript illumination.

Illustrations The decorated pages and miniatures are as follows (the original numbers of the miniatures precede those of the later Hindi renumbering): f. 1r. Illuminated shamsah f. 1v. Opening sarlouh and beginning of the Makhzan al-Asrar f. 2r. Opening sarlouh (left) 4/2 Faridun hunting Beginning of Khusrau wa Shirin with illuminated unwan (heading) 14/12 Khusrau & Shirin feasting after hunting & playing polo 15/13 Farhad before Khusrau 16/14 Shirin at prayer 20/18 Khusrau holds court with Barbad Beginning of Layla wa Majnun with illuminated unwan 26/24 Majnun & his father visit the Kaba 30.28 Majnun meets the hunter 32/30 Layla with Ibn Salam after their marriage 33?/? Majnun with the animals 34/31? Layla receives Majnuns letter 35/32 Salim visits Majnun 36/33 Layla visits Majnun in desert 38/35 Majnun in Laylas camp 39/36 The death of Layla 40/37 Majnun is told of Laylas death

41/38 Majnun mourns Laylas death at her tomb Haft Paykar (first page with unwan missing) 51/48 Bahram in the sandalwood pavilion of the Chinese princess Beginning of the Sharaf Nama with illuminated unwan 56/53 Iskandar makes the mirror 57/54 Iskandar on Daras throne 58/55 Daras officers punished 66/61 Iskandar & Khizr at the spring Beginning of the Iqbal Nama with illuminated unwan 68/63 Mariyeh & alchemists 67/62 Iskandar and the philosophers (this occurs later in the text despite the earlier numbering of the painting in relation to the preceding miniature)

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Al-Tughrais Lamiyyat, Poems ending with the letter L, with a commentary Mamluk Syria Dated Sunday 16 Rajab AH 893/ 26 June 1488 AD

Arabic manuscript on paper, foredge gilded, 39 folios each with 15 lines of naskh script in black ink, some phrases and verses in maroon and red ink, marginal notes in black ink, catchwords; vivid illuminated frontispiece, title in black ink over a knot work design in blue and two shades of gold; ownership inscriptions; very good condition. Contemporary brown morocco with central medallion, re-edged, corner pieces and borders richly tooled with gold arabesques, blue silk doublures 17.5 x 13 cm

The elegant naskh script and binding, and highly burnished paper of this Mamluk manuscript indicate that it was made for a patron of high status. Though the illuminated title-page and the binding follow classic Mamluk models, the very smooth paper and calligraphic quality of the script suggests that the manuscript may have been made in Syria rather than Egypt. The work contains the famous poem of the poet, scientist and imperial official, al-Tuhgrai, together with a commentary. One of the most renowned Islamic alchemists as well as a poet and an astronomer, al-Tughrai served as chief secretary to the Seljuk ruler Muhammad I in Isfahan. Having reached the most powerful administrative position in the empire, in 1121 AD al-Tughrai was

accused of being a heretic following his involvement in supporting the rebellion of the Masud, the brother of Sultan Mahmud. Al-Tughrais best known scientific work was his huge alchemical compendium, the Mafatih alRahmah wa-Masabih al-Hikmah, which incorporated extensive extracts from earlier Arabic alchemical writings, as well as Arabic translations from Zosimos of Panopolis, old alchemy treatises written in Greek. His poem, the Lamiyyat al-Ajam is a long complaint in the form of a qasidah about the treatment he received at the hand of his contemporaries. The Lamiyyat was the first major work of Arabic poetry to be made known in the West, published with a Latin translation by the Dutch scholar Jacobus Golius (d. 1667), in Leiden in 1629, and, again with a Latin version, by Pococke, Oxford, 1661. The Lamiyyat of the title refers to the practice of completing each line of the poem with the letter L. Tughrais verses are written in red, and followed by a commentary in black ink. A colophon at the end of the manuscript gives the date of completion as 893/ 1487-88. Handwritten notes on the opening state that the manuscript was bought by a certain Abdul-Wahab al-Husaini for 20 silver dirhams in 958/ 1551.

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Jamis Haft Awrang, Seven Thrones Iran Dated AH 897 and 898/ 1491 and 1492 AD

Persian manuscript on burnished cream paper, 173 folios with 4 columns of nastaliq and naskh script in black, blue, red, and purple ink, text block ruled in gold frame, 5 illuminated headings in white Kufic script set in gold cartouche on blue background with floral scrolls, later lacquer binding and doublures with floral decoration on red background, excellent condition 24.8 x 17 cm

This delicately written work was completed in the year of Jamis death, 1492. Dedications to Jami within the work indicate that he was still alive at the time of completion, as the usual phrase of salama allah alayhu wa salma which is used after the death of a venerated person is not written after his name. The present work contains five of the seven stories in the Haft Awrang: The execution of the manuscript, which is of the greatest refinement, contains five beautifully illuminated headings, each of a different style, is characteristic of Timurid manuscript decoration; the fine, evenly spaced nastaliq hand is typical for which calligraphers of this period were so renowned. Jami, the great Persian poet, was born in Jam, Herat, on 23 Shaaban 817/7 November 1414. He died at Herat on 18 Muharram 898/9 November 1492. During his studies, he became deeply passionate about Sufi mysticism, and became a student of Sad al-Din Muhammad al-Kaysari, the successor to the great saint Baha al-Din Naqshband, founder of the order of the Naqshbandis. Jami remained in Herat for

the majority of his life, leading a peaceful life of study, poetry, and spiritual exercises. He was honoured by several emperors, including the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II the Conqueror (r. 1451-1481), who attempted to persuade him to live in Istanbul, and the founder of the Mughal Dynasty Babur (r. 15261530), who proclaimed Jami to be the greatest poet of all time. (H. Masse, Djami, EI2) Jamis writings, which are great in both number and diversity, display a unique depth of knowledge, as well as a genius for language and style. He wrote in prose as well as in poetry, but it is for the latter which he gained most fame. One of his better known poetic works consisted of seven mathnavis, assembled under the title Haft Awrang (the seven thrones).

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On Grammar, al-Tasrih bi Madmun al-Tawdih By Khalid Ibn Abd Allah Ibn Abi Bakr al-Azhari North Africa AH 896/ 1490-91 AD

Arabic manuscript on paper, 278 folios, 30 lines of black and red maghribi script to the page, chapter headings in black, green and red outlined in colours, later brown morocco stamped binding 25.8 x 19 cm

Al-Azhari (d. 1499), the author of this work, was the most famous grammarian of the late fifteenth century, and the present manuscript was copied in his lifetime. Born in Jarja in Upper Egypt, he wrote such famous works on grammar as al-Muqadimma al-Azhariyya fi ilm al-Arabiyya, as well as commentaries on famous works of prose such as the Qasidah al-Burda of al-Busiri. This is an excellent copy of one of al-Azharis most celebrated works, written in his lifetime. It is his response to Ibn Hishams commentary on the Alfiyya of Ibn Malik. Ibn Malik was born in Jaen, Spain, circa 600/1204, but left Spain for the Near East and became a Shafii scholar in Syria. He was a teacher of Arabic language and literature in major centres of learning such as Aleppo and Hama, before finally settling in Damascus, where he became senior master at the Adiliyya Madrasa, teaching hadith, lexicography, grammar, jurisprudence, and Quran recitation. Before his death in 672/1274 he passed his most productive years in Damascus, where he gained a reputation in Arabic literature. Ibn Malik gained fame for his versification of textbooks in poetic form, and became particularly renowned with the completion of his al-Khulasa al-Alfiyya, a versification of Arabic grammar in the form of a poem of about 1000 lines. At least 43 commentaries have been written on his work, one of which is al-Azharis al-Tasrih bi Madmun al-Tawdih.

Arabic grammar, which has its roots in the language of the Quran and in the pre-Islamic poetry of Arabia, was considered to be a science in its own right, developing along with law, medicine and philosophy. First codified in two seminal works during the eighth century AD, Arabic grammar was soon divided into several schools of thought, which continued to flourish, particularly in Baghdad, throughout the following centuries. The expense of producing a manuscript such as the present copy, transcribed in a precisely rendered hand and copied on beautiful, glossy paper with ornamental headings, strongly suggests that it was a prestige copy. As it was completed during the lifetime of the author, it is possible that it was copied by a student of the author, perhaps for al-Azhari himself.

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From the libraries of 3 Mughal EmperorsFakhr al-Din Ali, better known as Safi Eastern Iran Early 16th century

Rashahat Ayn al-Hayat, The Drops of the Spring of Life

Persian manuscript on paper, 147 folios, each with 23 lines of clear nastaliq script in black ink, some words and phrases in red ink, in a gold frame outlined in blue; marginal notes, some framed in gold; i