Kitāb Dīsqūrīdis fī mawādd al-‘ilāj كتاب ديسقوريدس في موادّ العلاج Dīsqūrīdis (Dioscorides) ديسقوريدس

Content

Arabic version of De materia medica (Περὶ ὕλης ἰατρικῆς; Kitāb mawādd al-‘ilāj ), by Pedanius Dioscorides (Πεδάνιος Διοσκουρίδης, ديسقوريدس; ca AD 40- ca 90) of Anazarbus (modern Anavarza in south-central Turkey).

This copy was completed at Baghdad on 10 Rabī‘ I 735/8 November 1334 (see colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. on f. 181r, transcribed below).

Contents:

• Book 3 (المقالة الثالثة; ff. 2r-115v);
• Book 4 (المقالة الرابعة; ff. 116v-181r).

Begins (f. 2r, lines 1-3):

مستقيمة والذكر منه مستدير وليس بذي طبقات بل هو شيء واحد

وكلاهما في الطعم متشابهين أوّل ما بدا فإن يوجد في طعمها

حلاوة ثمر من بعد يتغير طعمه فيه شيء من مرارة ...

Ends (f. 181r, lines 5-8):

سڡورٮٮوٮداس

وهو ذنب العقرب ويسمى صامريوما هو نبات له ورق

قليل وبزر شبيه بأذناب العقرب وهذا البزر إذا صمد به نفع

الملسوعين من العقارب

Colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. (f. 181r, lines 9-11):

تمت المقالة الرابعة من ديسقوريدس من نسخها ونقشها يوم الخميس

عاشر ربيع الأول من سنة خمس وثلثين وسبعمائة هجرية على يدي العبد

الضعيف الحاج النقاش بمدينة السلم بغداد حامدًا ومصليًا ومسلمًا

Extent and format

Codex A collection of pages, usually gathered into quires, and bound between covers. ; ff. ii+182+ii

Physical characteristics

Material: Paper

Dimensions: 244 x 165 mm leaf [192 x 116 mm written]

Foliation: Arabic-Indic foliation in black ink; British Museum foliation in pencil; quire Collection of papers folded in half and stitched together to form a gathering of folios. signatures with catchwords only at quire Collection of papers folded in half and stitched together to form a gathering of folios. breaks

Ruling: Misṭarah ; 21 lines per page; vertical spacing 11 lines per 10 cm

Script: Naskh ; mostly vocalised; many transliterated foreign words unpointed; the copyist was also the illuminator as indicated in the colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. (f. 181r)

Ink: Black ink, with rubricated headings

Decoration: 287 colour illustrations of plants; 52 spaces left blank for illustrations (note the outlines for an unfinished illustration on f. 88r)

Binding: Ottoman binding (19th century?) in brown leather with envelope flap and blocked stamped mandorla with pendants; marbled doublure

Condition: Excellent condition, but some water damage especially to illustrations on first 19 folios

Marginalia: Very occasional marginalia

Written in

Arabic in Arabic script

Type

Manuscript

Access & Reference

Original held at

British Library: Oriental Manuscripts

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

Or 3366

History of this record

Date(s)

735 (AH, Hijri qamari)

Context of creation

Baghdad

Immediate source of acquisition

Purchased from A. Brown, 17 July 1886

Related material

Select Bibliography

Study:

• Sadek, Mahmoud M., The Arabic Materia Medica of Dioscorides (Québec: Éditions du Sphinx, 1983)

Edition of Original Greek text:

• Max Wellmann, ed., Pedanii Dioscuridis Anazarbei de materia medica libri quinque , 3 vols (Berlin: 1907-14)

Subjects

Medicine, Greek and RomanHerbs--Therapeutic use

People & organisations

of Anazarbos Dioscorides Pedanius

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Kitāb Dīsqūrīdis fī mawādd al-‘ilāj كتاب ديسقوريدس في موادّ العلاج Dīsqūrīdis (Dioscorides) ديسقوريدس, British Library: Oriental Manuscripts, Or 3366, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100022531380.0x000001> [accessed 21 December 2024]

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