‘The Oriental geography of Ebn Haukal, an Arabian traveller of the tenth century’ [‎3] (18/388)

PREFACE. iii
Jo^ Haukal, or ^ Ebn Haukal: But it appears,
from one copy of his work deposited among the Oriental
manuscripts in the Library at Ley den*, that his name was
(^j! ^UJI Abi l'Cassem Ebn Haukal.
The work itself, in the original Arahick, according to the
Catalogue of the Ley den Library, above quoted, is called
UCJI^JI l XI WI v-jU/^Kitab al Mesalek al Memalek. The
Persian translation which I have used, and the copy preserved
at Eton f, bear the same title, with the omission of the Ara-
bick article, and (in my copyJ the addition of the copulative,
thus : j l - AX / T Under this name the ancient
Tarikh, or Chronicle of Tab a ri, quotes it in a passage which
I shall hereafter adduce*
* t
Samanian family, became Sovereign of Maweralnahr, Anno Hegiree 301, (A. D.
9 1 2.) If Ebn Haukal could have spoken with a contemporary of Nasser
Ahmed, one who had been of sufficient age to attend him in his battles, we cannot, rea
sonably, assign a later date to the composition of this work than the middle of the tenth
century.
* See No, 1704, page 47 8, of the Catal. Libr. tam impress, quam manuscriptor. Biblioth.
publ. Universit. Lugduno-Batav#, folio, Lugd. Bat. 1716,
t Eton Oriental MSS. No. 418.— This manuscript is an octavo volume, containing
above three hundred pages, written in an uniform, but very difficult and inaccurate hand;
most (f the proper names wanting their diacritical points. My own copy, which I purchased
b 2