Kitāb Tarākīb al-anwār كتاب تراكيب الأنوار Ṭughrāʾī, al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī طغرائي، الحسين بن علي

Content

An influential alchemical treatise by Muʾayyad al-Dīn abū Ismāʿīl al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī al-Ṭughrāʾī (d. 515 AH/AD 1121), a high-ranking Seljuq vizier and the most important alchemist of his time.

The text was copied in early Raǧab 925 (June/July 1519) at Damascus by Qudrat Allāh al-Marandī al-Ādharī (see colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. , f. 57r). At the end of the colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. , the scribe tells us that he collated his text and corrected it as far as possible. 3 folios have been replaced (ff. 19, 21 and 24).

Begins (f. 14v, lines 3-7):

الحمد لله الذي فضّلَنا على كثير من عباده والمؤمنين وأتانا ما لم يؤت أحدًا من العالمين

وخصّنا بالحكمة التي خصّ بها عبادَه الصالحين فقال جلّ من قائل يؤتي الحكمة مَن

يشاء ومَن يؤت الحكمة فقد أؤتي خيرًا كثيرًا وما يذكّر إلّا أو لو الألباب وصلى الله على سيّد المرسلين

محمد وآله الطيبين وأصحابه الطاهرين وبعد فقد بعثتني الرأفة بكم معاشرالإخوان ...

Ends (ff. 56v, line 19 - 57r, line 5):

... ولا يزال تغلظ رطوبتهما بالصعود والنزول

إلى أنْ تصير في المعدن خميرةً تعمل المثلَ دائمًا أبدًا فسبحان

الدائم بلا زوال أبدًا هو الله الذي خلق الوجود من غير خمير موجود

فما أحسن صُوَرَهُ وأعظم حكمة فله الحمد دائمًا أبدًا والحمد لله وحده

وصلى الله على سيدنا رسوله محمد النبي الأمي وعلى آله وصحبه وسلموحسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل ...

Colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. (f. 57a, lines 5-12):

... تم الكتاب بالخير والصواب

وقع الفراغ من كتابته في أوائل شهر رجب المرجب

سنة خمس وعشرين وتسعمائة بمدينة

دمشق المحروسة على يدي العبد الفقير

لله المولى الغني قدرة الله بن محمد بن محمد

المرندي الأذري حامدًا لله

[two lines missing through iron gall corrosion]

قوبلت صححت بقدر الإمكان

Extent and format

ff. 14v-57r

It is part of

Compendium of alchemical treatises in Arabic, Persian and Ottoman

328 images

Ref: Or 13006

Physical characteristics

Material: Paper

Dimensions: 215 x 150 mm leaf [168 x 112 mm written]

Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil; Arabic foliation in the purple crayon typical of Lebanese bookdealers of the 19th century

Ruling: Misṭarah ; 19 lines per page; vertical spacing 11 lines per 10 cm (ff. 113r-158v: 29 lines per page; vertical spacing 17 lines per 10 cm)

Script: Naskh with nasta‘līq tendencies and some titles in thuluth (ff. 113r-158v: naskh )

Scribes: Qudrat Allāh al-Marandī al-Ādharī (ff. 3r-112v) and Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Mawṣilī (ff. 113r-158v)

Ink: Black ink, with rubricated, yellow and green headings and overlinings in red (ff. 113r-158v: black)

Binding: British Museum binding

Condition: Some worm damage, foxing, and tears towards the fore edge. Folios 19, 21 and 24 have been replaced.

Marginalia: Extensive marginal corrections, conjectures, glosses in Arabic and Persian and other evidence of collation and textual study (ff. 113r-158v: very few)

Written in

Arabic in Arabic script

Type

Manuscript item

Access & Reference

Original held at

British Library: Oriental Manuscripts

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

Or 13006, ff 14v-57r

History of this record

Date(s)

Rajab 925 (AH, Hijri qamari)

Context of creation

Damascus

Related material

Subjects

Alchemy--Early works to 1800Chemistry--Early works to 1800

People & organisations

i Tughraal-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī Ṭughrāʾī

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Kitāb Tarākīb al-anwār كتاب تراكيب الأنوار Ṭughrāʾī, al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī طغرائي، الحسين بن علي, British Library: Oriental Manuscripts, Or 13006, ff 14v-57r, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023512370.0x000004> [accessed 18 April 2024]

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