‘The Oriental geography of Ebn Haukal, an Arabian traveller of the tenth century’ [‎4] (19/388)

iv PREFACE.
It is prohahle, however, that it lore a second, or more de
scriptive and ample title ; for D'Herbelot mentions the
work of Ebn Haukal as entitled " Giagrafiah fi Marefat al
Boldan*:. And in the Leyden Catalogue, we find, after AT
Mesalek al Memalek, these additional names:
(j II j UJi \ jSj lXJI j ! »
The words Mesalek Memalek seem to form either the whole
or part of the titles to many other Geographical manuscripts.
Among the various original treatises which furnished ma
terials to Hamdallah Mustoufi, the celebrated Persiaji
geographer, in the composition of his Nozahet al Coloub, he
with many other MSS. about three years ago, is a large and thin octavo volume, containing two
hundred and twelve pages : it is imperfect at the end; hut on a collation with the Eton MS.
appears only to want the last leaf. The character is sufficiently neat; hut the proper names
are most inaccurately written, and whole lines, in various places, are without a diacritical
point.
Bthhot. Orient, art. Haucal. As this article contains a very just account of our
Author s defects, I shall give it entire: —" Haucal,"—Ebn Haucal,—" Auteur d'un
livre intitule Giagrafiah fi Marefat al Boldan. Cest une Geographic fort prolix e-, Abulfeda
qui le cite souvent, se plaint de ce quil n a pas designe assez clairement les noms propres des
heux, faute de set re servi des voyelles qui servent a en fixer la prononciation. Get Auteur
est aussi fort defecteux en ce quil ne marque ni les longitudes ni les latitudes des lieux dont il
parle, defaut qui lui est commun avec la plupart de geographes de 1 Orient, qui ont laisse ce
soin aux astronomes."