Collection of Arabic astrological and divinatory texts, and a fragment of a Persian manuscript

Content

Collection of astrological and divinatory texts and diagrams drawn from sources both ancient and contemporary with the scribe, ʻAbd Allāh ibn al-Ṣāḥib Nūr al-Dīn al-Jazarī al-Masīḥī (عبد الله بن الصاحب نور الدين الجزري المسيحي), who copied it for his own use in 867/1462-3 (see colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. , f. 19r, lines 4-7, transcribed below). The scribe's nisba s indicate that he was a Christian native to or with family roots in northern Iraq.

Some of the texts are given numbers using alphanumeric ( abjad ) notation.

An extensive list of the volume's contents by the hand of the scribe is found on f. 2v.

Ff. 212-214 are a fragment of an Persian manuscript unrelated to the other folios in this volume, as demonstrated both by their content and format and by the fact that they are not mentioned in the table of contents on f. 2v.

Contents:

• (1) Aristotle (أرسطاطاليس), Book Containing the Stations of the Moon and the Elections and Actions [to be Undertaken] in them, and This is from the Discourse of the Sage Hermes and Others (الكتاب فيه منازل القمر وما فيها من الاختيارات والأعمال وذلك من قول هرمس الحكيم وغيره, ff. 3r-18r);
• (2) Hermes (هرمس), Anonymous treatise on the exaltations and falls of the seven planets (ff. 18v-19r);
• (3) Chapter discussing the hours of the planets (باب ذكر ساعات الكواكب, ff. 20r-20v);
• (4) Chapter on the Moon's applications to the planets and the Sun (باب في اتصالات القمر بالكواكب والشمس, ff. 21v-23r);
• (5) The Book of Indications According to the Applications and Conjunctions of the Planets in the Twelve Signs, their Exaltations, Falls, Progressions, Retrogression, Appearances, Absences and Presence with the Head and the Tail (كتاب الدلالات على الاتصالات وقرانات الكواكب في البروج الاثنا عشر وأشرافها وهبوطاتها واستقاماتها ورجوعها وظهورها وغيباتها وكونها مع الرأس والذنب, ff. 23v-50r);
• (6) Collection of short astrological texts (ff. 50v-68r);
• (7) Hermes (هرمس), Book of Judgement at the Rising of Sirius (كتاب الحكم عند طلوع الشعرى, ff. 68v-89r);
• (8) Chapter on the characteristics associated with each one of the planets (باب فيما ينسب إلى كل واحد من الكواكب من الأخلاق, ff. 89v-90r);
• (9) Instructions for talisman making (ff. 90r-93v)
• (10) Section on the shifting of the planets to the signs (فصل في انتقال الكواكب للبروج, ff. 94r-110r);
• (11) Section on the conditions of the two nodes and their arrival in the twelve signs (فصل في أحوال العقدتين وحلولها (!) في البروج الاثنى عشر, ff. 110v-113r);
• (12) Section on knowledge of the planets and which of the climes and countries are theirs (فصل في معرفة الكواكب وما لهم من الأقاليم ومن البلدان, ff. 113v-116r);
• (13) Chapter on knowing the indications of the signs for countries and other things (باب في معرفة دلالات البروج على البلدان وغيرها, ff. 116r-120v);
• (14) Section of the planets aspecting the Sun at the time of its arrival at the beginnings of the four seasons (فصل نظر الكواكب للشمس وقت حلولها أوائل الفصول الأربعة, ff. 120v-121v);
• (15) Chapter on the arrival of the planets in the twelve houses (باب في حلول الكواكب في البيوت الاثنى عشر, ff. 122r-135v);
• (16) Two chapters on astrological judgments by eclipses (ff. 136r-150r);
• (17) Chapter in which judgment by eclipse of the Moon is discussed from the perspective of its colour in the middle of the [solar?] eclipse (باب يذكر فيه الحكم على خسوف القمر في جهة لونه في وسط الكسوف (!), ff. 150r-153v);
• (18) Section discussing the indications of comets according to Ptolemy and the Indians (فصل في ذكر دلالات ذات الذوائب على رأي بطليموس والهند, ff. 154r-157r);
• (19) Astrological apothegms and excerpts (ff. 157r-160v);
• (20) Section on conjunctions (فصل في القرانات, f. 161v);
• (21) al-Balkhī, Nūr al-Dīn Abū al-Qāsim (البلخي، نور الدين أبو القاسم), Excerpts from the al-Madkhal fī ʻilm al-nujūm (المدخل في علم النجوم, ff. 162r-184v);
• (22) Thirty-seven tables, diagrams and short texts related to astrology, divination and astral magic (ff. 185r-211v);
• (23) Fragment of a Persian text on poetry (ff. 212r-214v).

Extent and format

Codex A collection of pages, usually gathered into quires, and bound between covers. ; ff. i+214+i

It is grouped into

al-Kitāb fīhi manāzil al-qamar wa-mā fīhā min al-ikhtīyārāt wa-al-aʻmāl wa-dhālika min qawl Hirmis al-ḥakīm wa-ghayrih الكتاب فيه منازل القمر وما فيها من الاختيارات والأعمال وذلك من قول هرمس الحكيم وغيره Aristotle أرسطاطاليس

31 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 3r-18r

Anonymous treatise on the exaltations and falls of the seven planets Hermes هرمس

2 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 18v-19r

Bāb dhikr sāʻāt al-kawākib باب ذكر ساعات الكواكب

2 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 20r-20v

Bāb fī ittiṣālāt al-qamar bi-al-kawākib wa-al-shams باب في اتصالات القمر بالكواكب والشمس

4 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 21v-23r

Kitāb al-dalālāt ʻalá al-ittiṣālāt wa-qirānāt al-kawākib fī al-burūj al-ithná ʻashar wa-ashrāfihā wa-hubūṭātihā wa-istiqāmātihā wa-rujūʻihā wa-ẓuhūrihā wa-ghaybātihā wa-kawnihā maʻa al-raʼs wa-al-dhanab كتاب الدلالات على الاتصالات وقرانات الكواكب في البروج الاثنا عشر وأشرافها وهبوطاتها واستقاماتها ورجوعها وظهورها وغيباتها وكونها مع الرأس والذنب

54 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 23v-50r

Collection of short astrological texts

36 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 50v-68r

Kitāb al-ḥukm ʻinda ṭulūʻ al-shiʻrá كتاب الحكم عند طلوع الشعرى Hermes هرمس

42 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 68v-89r

Bāb fīmā yunsabu ilá kull wāḥid min al-kawākib min al-akhlāq باب فيما ينسب إلى كل واحد من الكواكب من الأخلاق

2 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 89v-90r

Instructions for talisman making

8 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 90r-93v

Faṣl fī intiqāl al-kawākib li-l-burūj فصل في انتقال الكواكب للبروج

33 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 94r-110r

Faṣl fī aḥwāl al-ʻiqdatayn wa-ḥulūlihā (!) fī al-burūj al-ithnā ʻashr فصل في أحوال العقدتين وحلولها في البروج الاثنى عشر

6 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 110v-113r

Faṣl fī maʻrifat al-kawākib wa-mā lahum min al-aqālīm wa-min al-buldān فصل في معرفة الكواكب وما لهم من الأقاليم ومن البلدان

6 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 113v-116r

Bāb fī maʻrifat dalālāt al-burūj ʻalá al-buldān wa-ghayrihāباب في معرفة دلالات البروج على البلدان وغيرها

10 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 116r-120v

Faṣl naẓar al-kawākib li-l-shams waqt ḥulūlihā awāʼil al-fuṣul al-arbaʻahفصل نظر الكواكب للشمس وقت حلولها أوائل الفصول الأربعة

3 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 120v-121v

Bāb fī ḥulūl al-kawākib fī al-buyūt al-ithná ʻashr باب في حلول الكواكب في البيوت الاثنى عشر

28 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 122r-135v

Two chapters on astrological judgments by eclipses

29 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 136r-150r

Bāb yudhkaru fīhi al-ḥukm ʻalá al-khusūf al-qamar fī jihat lawnihi fī wasaṭ al-kusūf باب يذكر فيه الحكم على خسوف القمر في جهة لونه في وسط الكسوف

8 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 150r-153v

Faṣl fī dhikr dalālāt dhāt al-dhawāʼib ʻalá raʼī Baṭlīmūs wa-l-hind فصل في ذكر دلالات ذات الذوائب على رأي بطليموس والهند

7 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 154r-157r

Astrological judgments and excerpts

8 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 157r-160v

Faṣl fī al-qirānāt فصل في القرانات

1 image

Ref: Or 5591, f 161v

Excerpts from the Kitāb al-madkhal fī ʻilm al-nujūm (المدخل في علم النجوم) Balkhī, Nūr al-Dīn Abū al-Qāsim ʻAlī ibn Aḥmad بلخي، نور الدين أبو القاسم علي بن أحمد

46 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 162r-184v

Thirty-seven tables, diagrams and short texts related to astrology, divination and astral magic

54 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 185r-211v

Fragment of a Persian text on poetry

6 images

Ref: Or 5591, ff 212r-214v

Physical characteristics

Material: Eastern laid paper of various colours

Dimensions: 180 x 130 mm leaf [125 x 80 mm written]

Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil; Arabic alphanumeric (abjad) foliation begins with ا (1) on f. 3r of the British Museum foliation and ends with قمد (144) on f. 136r of the British Museum foliation; beginning of quire Collection of papers folded in half and stitched together to form a gathering of folios. marks (quinions) visible on ff. 12r, 22r, 32r, 42r, 52r, 62r, 72r, 82r, 92r, 102r, 112r, 122r, 132r, 142r, 152r, 162r, 172r, 182r ( quire Collection of papers folded in half and stitched together to form a gathering of folios. 19) and 197r ( quire Collection of papers folded in half and stitched together to form a gathering of folios. 21)

Ruling: Misṭarah ; 13 lines per page; vertical spacing 10 lines per 10 cm

Script: Naskh ; the scribe is ʻAbd Allāh ibn al-Ṣāḥib Nūr al-Dīn al-Jazarī al-Masīḥī (عبد الله بن الصاحب نور الدين الجزري المسيحي, see f. 19r, lines 5-8); the scribal hand changes at f. 187r.

Ink: Black ink with rubrications

Decoration: None

Binding: British Museum half-leather binding in red

Condition: Folios appear to be missing between ff. 184 and 185, ff. 186 and 187, and ff. 196 and 197 and perhaps after 210v; ff. 187-190 have been mutilated and repaired with some loss of text; tidemarks and stains towards head of volume

Marginalia: Few by hand of main scribe and others

Seals: ff. 1r and 2r; British Museum seal on ff. 1r, 3r, 60r and 190v

Written in

Arabic, Persian and Farsi in Arabic script

Type

Manuscript

Access & Reference

Original held at

British Library: Oriental Manuscripts

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

Or 5591

History of this record

Date(s)

867 (CE, Gregorian)

Provenance

• Muḥammad Bashīr (محمد بشير): his seal, with Persian legend 'Muḥammad-i nabī bashīr ast' (محمد نبى بشير است) without legible date (ff. 1r and 2r);
• Muẓaffar al-Munajjim ('the astrologer', مظفر المنجم): his inscription and seal, with date 1010/1601-2 (f. 2r);
• Muḥammad Shafīʻ al-Munajjim ('the astrologer', محمد شفيع المنجم): his inscription and seal, without legible date (f. 2r);
• al-Ḥabīb Allāh ibn Niʻmat Allāh (الحبيب الله ابن نعمت الله), alias 'the physician' (مخاطب طبيب): his inscription, without date (f. 2r).

Immediate source of acquisition

Purchased from Messrs Hannan, Watson & Co. May 16, 1899

Related material

Finding aids

Ellis, A.G. and Edward Edwards, A Descriptive List of the Arabic Manuscripts Acquired by the Trustees of the British Museum since 1894 (London: British Museum, 1912), p. 38

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Collection of Arabic astrological and divinatory texts, and a fragment of a Persian manuscript, British Library: Oriental Manuscripts, Or 5591, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100099023112.0x000001> [accessed 20 February 2025]

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