RSPA 106 (Oriental Manuscripts, British Library)
India Office Library
Jones Collection
Royal Society Arabic and Persian
Contents
1 copy of Kitāb al-Ḥamāsah by Abū Tammām
Language(s): Arabic
This ms has a title page f.1r in Arabic which includes an index.
Jones wrote two prefatory notes. On f.1v "This book was copied from a manuscript on transparent paper traced at Oxford on an inestimable copy of the Hamasah which Pocock had brought from Aleppo and on which he set a high value. I gave ten guineas to the boy who traced it and I value this book at least at twenty guineas. W. Jones 26th Nov 1788". On f2r "The Hamasah or Ancient Arabian Poems collected by Abu Temmam".
Physical Description
European numerals in pencil.
Condition
There is hardly any damage; f.127 and f.128 are ripped but have been repaired. The binding is slightly damaged between f.1 and endpaper.
Layout
Hand(s)
Black thuluth script with rubrications in the hand of al-Ḥajj ʿAbd Allāh al-Makkī
Decoration
The pages are part-burnished over the text and have gilding around the edge.
There are many annotations by Jones particularly in chapters 1 (Ḥamāsah), 2 (Marāthī) and 4 (Nasīb). These are principally the metre on certain poems and translations of others (of either the whole or a part) into English. There are also some notes in Latin. He also occasionally transliterates the name of the poet and write a note about him, e.g f.125v.
Binding
Half-leather India Office maroon-brown binding with marbled endpapers
Accompanying Material
History
Provenance and Acquisition
RSPA 1-118 were presented to the Royal Society in January 1792 by Sir William and Lady Jones. According to Wilkins, this manuscript was presented by Sir William Jones.
The Royal Society's collection of 280 Persian and Arabic, and 86 Sanskrit manuscripts were transferred to the India Office Library in 1876.
1876
India Office Library
Record Sources
Availability
Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card for admissions procedures contact British Library, Registering for a Reader Pass. Contact apac-enquiries@bl.uk for further information on the availability of this manuscript. For information on catalogues and ordering manuscripts see Finding and ordering Persian manuscripts in the British Library.
Funding of Cataloguing
BL
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