Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate World

Persian MS 192 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)

Persian Manuscripts

Contents

Summary of Contents: This incomplete manuscript contains the second volume of the Z̤akhīrah-ʼi Khwārazmshāhī (Treasury of the Khwarazm Shahs) a medical encyclopedia by Ismāʻīl ibn Ḥasan Jurjānī (ca. 1042–1137). It contains the fifth to ninth books as well as two appendices that the author later added on animal ailments and a medical formulary. While this manuscript lacks a colophon, a note by Sir William Jones (1746–1794) declared that former owner Thomas Law (1756–1834) presented it to the Asiatick Society in Calcutta (Kolkata), between 1784 and 1791 when Law departed and returned to Britain. Since the manuscript also bears extensive repairs, it seems that an unidentified scribe possibly completed the volume in the Indian subcontinent in the 17th century CE.
Language(s): Persian
1a to 60b
Title: Book Five: On Fevers and their Cure
Title: کتاب پنجم
Incipit: (basmala) برگ ۱پ (folio 1b): کتاب پنجم از ذخیرهٔ خوارزمشاهی اندر شناختن تب و اجناس و انواع و اسباب و علامات و علاج آن و این کتاب شس گفتار است.
Explicit: برگ ۶۰پ (folio 60b): ...کلنگین(؟) و غیر آن سبب نکس گردد والله اعلم بالصواب.
Colophon: برگ ۶۰پ (folio 60b): تمام شد کتب پنجم از ذخیرهٔ خوارزمشاهی بحمد لله منه و الصلوة علی محمد و آله.
Title: Book Six: On Diseases of the Limbs and Their Cure
Title: کتاب ششم
Incipit: (basmala) برگ ۶۱ر (folio 61a): کتاب ششم از ذخیرهٔ خوارزمشاهی اندر علاج بیمارها از سر تا پی بباید دانستن که اندر رین کتاب همارهای جزوی...
Explicit: برگ ۳۷۸ر (folio 378a): ...هر یک جدا و هم آمیخته نیز سود دارد و الله اعلم بالصواب.
Colophon: برگ ۳۷۸ر (folio 378a): تمام شد کتب ششم از ذخیره خوارزمشاهی بحمد لله منه و الصلوة علی رسوله محمد و آله.
Title: Book Seven: On Tumours, Ulcers, Wounds, and their Treatment
Title: کتاب هفتم
Incipit: (basmala) برگ ۳۷۸ر (folio 378a): کتاب هفتم از ذخیرهٔ خوارزمشاهی اندر بیمارها و آفتها که ممکن است که همه‌اندامها را افتاد از سر تا شای چون آماسها و ریشها و جراحتها...
Explicit: برگ ۴۱۸ر (folio 418a): ...بستن و علاج آن چون بستن و علاج دست و انگستان دست است.
Colophon: برگ ۴۱۸ر (folio 418a): تمام شد کتب هفتم از ذخیره خوارزمشاهی بحمد لله منه و الصلوة و السلام الاتمان الاکملان علی محمد و آله و صحبه احمعین.
Title: Book Eight: On Preserving External Parts of the Body
Title: کتاب هیفدهم
Incipit: (basmala) برگ ۴۱۸ر (folio 418a): فهرست کتاب هشتم از ذخیرهٔ خوارزمشاهی اندر زینت و آراستگی و پاکیزگی ظاهر تن از سر تا پای و این کتاب سه گفتر است گفتر نخستین از...
Explicit: برگ ۴۲۹پ (folio 429b): ...نشود روغن گرم باید کرد چنانکه انگشت در وی توان داشت و انگشت دروی نهادن و هرگاه که فاتر شود دیگر باره گرم کردن و اگر بدین ساکن نشود علاج و بل باید کرد .
Colophon: برگ ۴۲۹پ (folio 429b): تمام شد کتب هشتم و بعد از این کتاب نهم یاد کرده آید بعون الله تعال و خسن توفیقه و الصلی الله علی محمد و آله و صحبه اجمعین.
Title: Book Nine: On Poisons and Their Antidotes
Title: کتاب نهم
Incipit: (basmala) برگ ۴۲۹پ (folio 429b): فهرست کتاب نهم از ذخیرهٔ خوارزمشاهی اندر احوال چیزهای زیان کار و زهرها و دفع مضرت آن و علاج و این کتاب را بتاری کتاب السموم گوند و این کتاب پنج گفتار است...
Explicit: برگ ۴۴۸ر (folio 448a): ...معذور نباشد و او را معذور ندارند و الله اعلم بالصواب و اله المرجع و المآب.
Title: Animal Illness
Title: Manāfī‘ al-Ḥayvānāt
Title: منافع الحوانات
Incipit: (basmala) برگ ۴۴۸پ (folio 448b): پس از کتاب ذخیرهٔ خوارزمشاهی ختم کرده شد و سبب خالی گذاشتن این کتاب از کتاب ادویه مفروده و از قراباذین یاد کرده شد و عذران خواسته آمد اندیشه افتاد...
Explicit: برگ ۴۵۴ر (folio 454a): ...بر آید ظلی کنند موی را باظل کنند و الله اعلم باصواب.
Colophon: برگ ۴۵۴ر (folio 454a): تمام شد در منافع الحیوانات بحمدالله و حسن توفیقه و اکنون قراباذین یاد کرده شود انشاء‌ الله تعالی.
Title: Formulary
Title: Qarābāz̤īn
Title: قراباذین
Incipit: (basmala) برگ ۴۴۸پ (folio 448b): قراباذین از ذخیرهٔ خوارزمشاهی بباید دانست که نخست بجمع کتاب ذخیرهٔ خوارزمشاهی مشغول شدم عزم آن بود که این کتاب ادویه مفرده و کتاب قراباذین نباشد از بهر عذری که در آخر کتاب خواسته آمده است و یاد کرده بدین سبب بعضی معجونها و داروهای مرکب که در قراباذین آورند نباشد درین کتاب هر یک انداران باب که بکار بایستآورده شده است...
Explicit: برگ ۴۵۴ر (folio 472a): روغن حرمل زهرهٔ گاو فریق تخم انجره افنتین موم سریط باهو دانه توابال من مغد تخم معصفر ارزن کرم با تخم کرفس و ناخواه حلیه روغن بسبب روغن...
Colophon: No colophon

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Textblock of comprised of four types of externally sized and polished, straight-grained, paper, all probably handmade in the Indian subcontinent:
  • Folios 1–144, 153–208 and 248 of thin-weight salmon-pink tinted, with ~12 laid lines per cm and few discernible chain lines.
  • Folios 145–152, 209–247, 249–313, and 386–472 of thin-weight buff-coloured, flocked paper, possibly tinted a pale pink, with ~10 laid lines per cm and few discernible chain lines.
  • Folios 314–385 of medium-weight naturally buff-coloured paper, with ~8 laid lines per cm and no discernible chain lines.
Extent: 472 folios, 6 flyleaves (ff. iv + 472 + ii).
Dimensions (leaf): 300 × 212 mm.
Dimensions (written): 230 × 140 mm.
Foliation: Hindu-Arabic numerals added to the upper-left corners of the a sides throughout followed in this record.

Collation

Undetermined due to tight sewing but possibly primarily quaternions throughout. Catchwords throughout most of the lower-left corners of the b sides.

Condition

Handle text with caution. The second paper type in especially fragile condition, with extensive insect damage, as well as moderate water strains and historical repairs throughout.

Layout

Written in 1 column with 23 lines per page. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.

Hand(s)

A majority of folios in the written in clear black nasta‘līq with occasional red markings in the appendices.

Folios 244 to 314 written in another comparatively angular black nasta‘līq hand.

Additions:
Marginalia: Notes in various hands in the margins throughout.
Inscriptions:The fourth right flyleaf a side (f. iva) bears an unsigned note by Sir William Jones (1746–1794) declares that Thomas Law (1756–1834) presented it to the Asiatick Society in Calcutta (Kolkata):
‘Given to the Asiatick Society by Thos. Law Esq.’
A second pencilled autograph of former owner Samuel Hawtayne Lewin appears at top, with another note underneath Jones' stating:
‘Bought at the sale of the Books of Sir Wm Jones whose handwriting is above. 1831.’ Bookplates: Left pastedown: ‘Bibliotheca Lindesiana’ with pencilled shelfmark ‘2/B’, and ‘Bland MSS No. 413’, with the name and number crossed out and ‘Persian’ and ‘192’ written aside.

Binding

Possibly rebound in a hybrid British-Indian style in Calcutta (Kolkata) for Thomas Law (1756–1834) during his tenure in the East India Company between 1773 and 1791

Endpapers of fairly coarse, flocked stock, probably handmade in Bengal added at front at back, together with flyleaves of bright pink, surface-tinted Chinese Xuan paper, with ~12 laid lines per cm and 23 mm between laid lines. Resewn on three cord supports, either laced in or frayed out on pasteboards. Edges trimmed, and endbands added at head and tail, now lost. Covered in full highly polished dark brown goatskin leather, with three raised bands upon the spine in the European manner, together with a fore-edge and pentagonal envelope flap, all cut flush with the edges of the texblock (Type II binding per Déroche). Board interiors of the same leather, extended in width to attach the cover to the second and penultimate flyleaves, with

Boards and flap originally decorated with central scalloped mandorlas, detached pendants, and cornerpieces upon gilt stamped paper, most now mising. Fore-edge flap bears a cartouche flanked by the the same detached pendants. Additional vertical single-line ruling in connects the central decoration, with double-lines connecting the cornerpieces, and thing-and-thick lines one the outer margins.

305 × 228 × 71 mm.

Handle binding with caution. In fair but stable condition. Exterior decoration suffers extensive losses, frayed headcaps, missing endbands, cracking joints, and general wear along hte edges.

History

Origin: Probably completed in Indian subcontinent; ; undated, but possibly 17th century CE.

Provenance and Acquisition

Subsequently acquired by East India Company civil servant Thomas Law (1756–1834), who presented it to the Asiatick Society in Calcutta (Kolkata) between 1784, the year of that institution's founding and 1791 when he returned to Britian.

Evidently borrowed from the Society by Sir William Jones (1746–1794), at whose death his executors evidently assumed it to be his, and thus inherited Lady Jones, who brought it to Britain with the rest of his private library.

After Jones death, his wife Lady Anna Maria Jones (1748–1829) inherited the volume, then after her death, the London firm of R. H. Evans (1778–1857) sold it on 20 May 1831 (lot 453), to bookseller John George Cochrane (1781–1852), who likely acted as an agent on behalf of Chancery Court Clerk and Royal Asiatic Society member Samuel Hawtayne Lewin (1795–1840), for whom he evidently also obtained other ex-Jones volumes (e.g. Rylands Persian MS 187 and 240; see Lawrence, 'Building a Library', pp. 34, 70, Appendix 3).

After Lewin's death, his family evidently sold his manuscripts, largely then obtained by scholar Nathaniel Bland (1803–1865) for his library at Randalls Park, Leatherhead.

After Bland's death, London bookseller Bernard Quaritch (1819–1899) sold his oriental manuscripts to Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (1812–1880) in June, 1866, paid in two instalments of £450 and £400, and then moved to Bibliotheca Lindesiana at Haigh Hall, Wigan.

Purchased by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1901 from James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford (1847–1913).

Bequeathed by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1908 to the John Rylands Library.

Record Sources

Bibliographical description based on an index created by Reza Navabpour circa 1993, derived from a manuscript handlist by Michael Kerney, circa 1890s and his Bibliotheca Lindesiana, Hand-list of Oriental Manuscripts: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, 1898.

Manuscript description by Jake Benson in 2023 with reference to the volume in hand.

Availability

To book an in-person or online appointment to consult the manuscript, visit Using the Special Collections Reading Rooms. For any other enquiries please email uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk.

Bibliography

    Mr. [R. H.] Evans, Catalogue of the Library of the Late Sir William Jones, Judge of the Supreme Court of Bengal, and President of the Asiatic Society : with the Books Added Subsequently to His Death, by His Widow, Lady Jones... London: Mr. Evans, 1831) p. 19, no. 453.
    pp. 466–468 [British Library Add. 23556, &c.]
    cols. 951–954, nos. 1576–1578 [Bodleian Fraser MS 600–601, &c.]
    Storey http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2772-7696_SPLO_COM_20501000#V2-0361

Funding of Cataloguing

Iran Heritage Foundation

The John Rylands Research Institute


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