Publication Date
9th century AH / 15th century AD
Publication Place
Fustat, Egypt. -
Museum of Islamic Art
Subject
Paper written on with black ink.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
Yes
Physical Dimensions
الطول: 16 سم ؛ العرض: 10 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
9971
Record ID
object;ISL;eg;Mus01;16;ar
Library Location
Museum of Islamic Art
Date
9th century AH / 15th century AD
Notes
The piece is a medical prescription written on paper in the simple Naskh script used in daily life. This recipe is attributed to Shams al-Din ibn al-Afif, one of the famous doctors during the era of the Mamluk Sultan al-Ashraf Barsbay, who ruled Egypt from 825-841 AH/1422-1437 AD. The historian Ibn Iyas (d. 930 AH / 1524 AD) mentioned that the doctor Shams al-Din ibn al-Afif was the chief physician of Egypt and the head of the Bimaristan of Egypt (Bimaristan of Sultan Qalawun). He was also the private physician to Sultan al-Ashraf Barsbay, and he was also responsible for granting doctors permission to practice the profession. It is worth noting here that patients residing in hospitals in the Mamluk era received medical and social care, just as it was provided to them. And salaries until they recover. He used to endow endowments for the bimaristans, the proceeds of which were spent on these bimaristans. The recipe described the treatment of celiac disease. There are some linguistic errors in writing the recipe, the text of which can be read as follows: Praise be to God alone. “Sufuf” is known as “Sufuf al-Kifaya” from the collection of Ibn al-Afif, the head of Maristan Egypt. He said: “A loan is taken of a quarter of a cup of anison, the same as a fennel, the same as a munkarmani, weighing two ounces... Kabli and in it are hooks, an ounce of seed. Sand, three ounces, green fennel water, the same, two bunches of basil, mint leaves, grape water, three ounces, then crushed bittersweet leaves, three ounces of celery water. He mixes everything and waters the buckets with them, then dries, and repeats it until they drink all the water. A quarter of a pound of white sugar is added to them, and they are drained of it morning and evening. This is beneficial for a disease in the stomach. The latest scientific studies in food science indicate that some types of food may cause Diseases that lead to death in some patients, and one of these diseases is colic disease. A person suffering from this disease cannot handle wheat protein as a result of a defect in intestinal function. If he eats wheat or one of its products, he will suffer from chronic diarrhea and weight loss that ultimately leads to death. Doctors in the Mamluk era knew about this disease. The medical prescription in our hands describes a treatment for gastrointestinal disease that modern science has recently discovered. The one who meditates on the vocabulary of herbs and plants mentioned in this recipe will find many benefits for treating stomach diseases.
Sample Text
Salah Sayour “Medical Prescription” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;eg;Mus01;16;ar
Bu sayfanın künyesi
Prepared by:Salah SAYOURSalah Ahmad Sayour holds a BA in Islamic Antiquities, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University (1973) and is currently studying for an MA in the same field. In 1979 he had a four-month scholarship at Austrian museums to study museology. Preparing exhibitions for the Museum of Islamic Art's collections in the Arab World Institute, Paris and curating exhibitions held in host museums in the USA and Paris augmented his experience leading to his appointment as head of several sections at the Museum. He has written several articles on Islamic painting and arts forPrism Magazinepublished by the Ministry in different languages and has participated in preparing scientific texts for the catalogues for the Museum's exhibitions at home and abroad.
Seçili bibliyografya
Ibn Iyas, Muhammad ibn Ahmad (d. 930 / 1524),Bada'i al-Zuhur fi Waqa'i al-Duhur [The Wonders of Flowers in Events Through the Ages],Cairo, 1894.Ibn Maymun (known as Maimonides), Musa ibn Abd Allah (1135–1204),Sharh asma' al-'iqar [Explanation of the Names of Drugs], Cairo, 1940.Muhammad, Sobhi Eid,“Tathkara Tibiyya Nadira Min 'Asr Barsbay [A Rare Medical Prescription From The Time of Barsbay]”in Majala Dirasat Athariyya [Journal of Archaeological Studies],Vol.3, Cairo, 1988.Said, M. H., (ed., with translation),Al-Biruni's Book on Pharmacy and Materia Medica,2 Vols. Karachi, 1973.Yusuf, M. M., "Wa min al-Ghidha' ma Katal [And Some Food May Kill]",inAl-AhramNewspaper, 22 August 2003.
