Author
an unnamed author. The title appears on the title page
Publication Date
12 Friday II 1201 AH)
Subject
1
Type
Book
Language
Arabic
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
Yes
Pages Count
1
Physical Dimensions
213 x 150 mm
Library
Qatar Digital Library
Library Asset ID
Or 8187
Record ID
vdc_100028123593.0x000001
Library Location
British Library: Oriental Manuscripts
Date
12 Friday II 1201 AH)
Notes
Treatise on falconry focusing on the health and treatment of birds of prey by an unnamed author. The title appears on the title page (f. 3r) as The Book of Al-Bizra was compiled by the sages who preceded the Alexandrian king (!) Al-Rumi, and it is a wonderful book that is suitable for kings, as every king must go hunting with one of these birds of prey (!)
Book of Hunting with Birds of Prey, Written by the Ancient Sages for the King Alexander
[lit. '
the Alexandrine king
']
the Greek, it is a wondrous book fit for kings, since every king must go hunting with one of these birds of prey
). At f. 75r, line 6-8, the title is found again in this form, but with Alexander correctly written. On f. 3v, line 1, the book is also given the Persian title
Bāznāmeh
(Baznama,
Falcon Book
).
Apart from ancient authorities such as Galen (Galen, see e.g. f. 15, line 4) and Archigenes (? Argenages, f. 29v, line 6), the anonymous author also draws upon Arabic-writing authors such as Ad-ham ibn Muḥriz al-Bāhilī (Adham ibn Mahrez al-Bahili; see e.g. f. 6, line 2; 9r, line 4) and al-Ghiṭrīf ibn Qudāmah al-Ghassānī (Al-Ghatrif ibn Qudamah al-Ghassani; see e.g. f. 7v, line 10; 9r, line 4), the authors of the
Kitāb manāfi‘ al-ṭayr
(The Book of Benefits of Birds;
Book of the Uses of Birds
)or
Kitāb al-ṭuyūr
(Bird Book;
Book of Birds
), written for the Abbasid caliph al-Mahdī (Al-Mahdi, reg. 775-85; see al-Sarraf, 'Mamluk Furūsīyah Literature and Its Antecedents',
Mamlūk Studies Review
8.1 (2004), pp. 184-85); and a certain Sa‘d ibn ‘Aqīr (Saad ibn Uqīr; see f. 7, line 8).
The text is divided into two treatises or parts, each subdivided into chapters. Treatise One is devoted to general information about birds of prey, their anatomical make up (based on Galenic humoral pathology), physical characteristics etc. Treatise Two describes specific illnesses, their signs and treatments.
Treatise One, which is Part One of the book: fifty-two chapters (taken from
colophon
Section at the end of a manuscript text.
of Treatise One, ff. 74v, line 9-75r, line 10]; ff. 3v-75r);
Treatise Two, which is Part Two, comprises discussions of all the illnesses of [birds] of prey, with their signs and treatments with medicines that heal a given illness: sixty-three chapters.
A list of the chapters titles of Treatise Two is found on ff. 75v-84v.
The manuscript appears to be complete.
The copy was completed on 12 Jumādá II 1201/1 April 1787 by Mullā Maṭar ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Ṭawqī (Mulā Matar ibn Abdullah al-Tawqī; see
colophon
Section at the end of a manuscript text.
, f. 148r, lines 1-8, transcribed below).
Other copies of this text are found in Istanbul, Ayasofya 3697 (dated 872/1467) and Paris, BnF Arabe 2831 (dated 848/1444). In the Paris manuscript, the text is attributed to Abū Bakr ibn Yūsuf ibn Abī Bakr ibn Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad
al-Qāsimī
One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; Also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima.
al-Qurashī al-‘Alawī al-Ash‘arī (Abu Bakr bin Yusuf bin Abi Bakr bin Hassan bin Muhammad al-Qasimi al-Qurashi al-Alawi al-Ash’ari, d. before 1444).
With the exception of the introductory material linking the text to Alexander the Great (ff. 3v-7v of the present manuscript), a nearly identical text is found in British Library Or. 15639 under the title
al-Qānūn al-waḍīḥ fī ‘ilm al-bayzarah
(The clear law in field science,
Clear Canon Concerning the Science of Hunting with Birds of Prey
) and attributed to al-Waṭwāṭ (the Bat), presumably Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Yaḥyá (Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Yahya, d. 1318) the Mamluk bookseller and author of the encyclopedia of natural history
Mabāhij al-fikar wa-manāhij al-‘ibar
(The joys of thought and methods of lessons,
Delights of Ideas and Courses of Lessons
).
Begins (f. 3r, lines 3-7):
Trustworthy Romans and knowledgeable people mentioned that Alexander
Rumi said to the wise men who celebrated his service, “One day I want to
Tell me about the nature of Al-Bazi and its occasional diseases
He has the sign of every disease, its cure, and the nature of the bazi
Convergence of human nature or not...
Ends (f. 147v, lines 3-7):
...And if the bird returns
Of fishing, he includes it in his taste for it
Something that benefits it and tastes good
The wind catches him and gives that in the month
If he is healthy...
Colophon
Section at the end of a manuscript text.
(ff. 147v, line 7-148r, line11):
...The book was completed
Praise be to God, His help, His good success, and praise
To God alone, and may God’s blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad and his family
He accompanied him and greeted him greatly
The completion of writing this bizra was a sacrifice
Saturday, the twelfth of the month of Jumada
The last (!) year one thousand two hundred and one of the Hijra
The chosen prophetess over Hagar is better
Prayers, peace, and best regards, and so on
The hand of the weakest and most needy of God’s servants, the poor and close
Sin and negligence, hoping for the pardon of his Lord, the Most Majestic
Matar Ibn Abdullah Al-Tawqi hopes that God will pardon him and his family
His parents, God willing, may God Almighty (!) bless Muhammad and his family, Lata (?)
Hareen, may God’s prayers and peace be upon them
There is no power nor strength from God (!) except through God (!) the Most High, the Great
Erişim Koşulları
Unrestricted
Edinme Kaynağı
Purchased from David Fetto, 9 June 1917
Seçilmiş kaynakça
al-Sarraf, Shihab, 'Mamluk Furūsīyah Literature and Its Antecedents',
Mamlūk Studies Review
8.1 (2004), pp. 141-200
