The copy of “Al-Qanun al-Wadih…” at the library of St.-Petersburg University
Abstract
A rich illuminated copy of “Kitab al-Qanun al-Wadhih fi Mu‘alajat al-Jawarih” composed by ‘Ali Ibn Qushtum al-Baghdadi (13th c.) was written in 1510 and now belongs to the collection of Arabic manuscripts of St. Petersburg State University. The treatise was not published and the manuscript itself is not well known. “Kitab al-Qanun al-Wadhih fi Mu‘alajat al-Jawarih” is devoted to classification of birds of prey, their training and treatment. The manuscript opens with a page of full-illumination. The geometric basis for this decoration is a circle. The beautiful central figure consists of colored concentric circles surrounded by six rays. The finispiece, decorated with four dashes radiating from the center-sun-shape, has an identical design. A decorated opening double-page carries the title of the work in the upper (Kitab) and lower (al-Qanun al-Wadih) panel in its right side. The name of the author, basmala and hamdala are inscribed in the centre-medallion. The main text executed in an elegant nash script. The treatise consists of two parts — theoretical and practical. The copy is a noteworthy sample of the illumination of Arabic manuscript on the eve of Ottoman conquest. “Kitab al-Qanun al-Wadhih fi Mu‘alajat al-Jawarih” is a low-studied source on the history of the Arab medicine and Arab-Muslim culture. Refs 24.
Keywords:
Arabic manuscripts, falconry, mamluks, Egypt
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Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Asian and African Studies" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.