One of 82 detached folios from a dispersed copy of a ajaib almakhluqat wa gharaib almawjudat wonders of creation and marvels of creatures and strange things existing by zakariya b. The wonders of creation, a edition of a medieval cosmography by persian scholar zakariya al qazwini. The treatise covered all the wonders of the world, and the variety of the. Cosmography the wonders of creation and the oddities of. The subject of this book is the socalled london qazvini, an early 14thcentury illustrated arabic copy of alqazvini s the wonders of creation and the oddities of existing things, which was acquired by the british library in 1983 or. Composed in iran during the th century, alqazwinis cosmography became immensely popular as an illustrated encyclopaedia. A study of the ilkhanid london qazwini edinburgh studies in islamic art by stefano carboni isbn. Manuscript of the ajaib almakhluqat wonders of creation of qazwini, with 253 paintings.
It inspired the persian expression az mah ta mahi, from the moon to the fish, i. Island of tin, plagued by dragons, from 17th or 18th century manuscript copy of the book of wonders. The wonders of creation enjoyed great popularity in the arab world and was transmitted in numerous copies for centuries. A book of creatures manuscript of the ajaib almakhluqat wonders of creation of qazwini, with 253 paintings. Abu yahya zakariya ibn muhammad ibn mahmudal qazwini ca. The constellations of the crow and centaurus from the wonders of creation and the oddities of existence, a treatise on the marvels of the universe written by cosmographer and geographer zakariya ibn muhammad al qazwini 12031283. Folio from an ajaib almakhluqat wa gharaib almawjudat. The bestselling wonders of creation series adds a new biologyfocused title that unveils the intricate nature of gods world and the harmony that was broken by sin. This cosmography by zakariya ibn muhammad alqazwini circa 120383, kitabajaib almakhluqat wagharaib almawjudat the wonders of creation, or literally, marvels of things created and miraculous aspects of things existing, enjoyed great popularity in the arab world and was transmitted in numerous copies for centuries. The wonders of creation, was first compiled in arabic in the middle 1200s. See more ideas about miniatures, islamic art and harvard art museum. The wonders of creation and the singularities of painting.
Sackler museum, gift of philip hofer in memory of eric schroeder, 1972. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. One of the oldest copies is the london qazwini produced in mosul at the beginning of the 14th century. Qazwini s cosmography consists of two parts, the first part is celestial, dealing with the spheres of the heaven. Ajaib almakhluqat wa gharaib almawjudat, the wonders of creation, meaning. The book covers such subjects as astrology, cosmology, and the natural sciences. Marvels of things created and miraculous aspects of things. Ajaib almakhluqat wa gharaib almawjudat, the wonders of creation is a book in arabic and an important work of cosmography by zakariya alqazwini, who was born in qazwin in the year 600 ah1203 ad. Alqazwini collected, edited and assembled a large body of literary works into a single text that reflects the cultural world of a medieval arab encyclopaedist. Behold fantastical illustrations from the th century arabic.
The wonders of creation description zakariya ibn muhammad alqazwini circa 120383, was a distinguished iranian scholar who was conversant in poetry, history, geography, and natural history. It is an illustrated compendium, which describes the many marvels of the universe. You can go here and actually turn the virtual pages. It is a codex of planets, constellations, angels, plantlife, animals and many other things from wonders of creation. Alsufis book of the constellations of the fixed stars, followed by maxims, and al qazwini s the wonders of creation this manuscript volume preserves two works. This treatise, frequently illustrated, was immensely popular and is preserved today in many copies. Alqazwinis wonders of creation is one of a handful of extant illustrated codices produced under the mongols of persia.
Marvels of creatures and strange things existing is a book in arabic and an important work of cosmography by zakariya al qazwini who was born. Posts tagged abu yahya zakariya ibn muhammad al qazwini cosmography the wonders of creation and the oddities of existence april 17, 2009. Marvels of things created and miraculous aspects of things existing images from an illustrated version of a thcentury arabic treatise by zakariya al qazwini titled ajaib almakhluqat wagharaib almawjudat marvels of things created and miraculous aspects of things existing. Ce, is known simply as al qazwini, kitab ajaib almakhluqat wa gharaib almawjudat, literally the wonders of creation, compiled. The genre of ajaib almakhluqat the wonders of creation, of which alqazwinis work is the most famous example, includes texts in arabic and persian that.
It was to the latter that qazvini dedicated his famous cosmography titled the wonders of creation, marvels of creatures and strange things existing. Abu yahya zakariya ibn muhammad alqazwini grimoires. Alsufi s book of the constellations of the fixed stars, followed by maxims, and alqazwinis the wonders of creation this manuscript volume preserves two works. The book concludes with a chapter on strange creatures. Picture book with only a line or two of text on each page. Cites as authorities abdarrahman ibn harun almaghribi and abu hamid alandalusi. Buy the wonders of creation and the singularities of painting. Ajaib almakhluqat wa gharaib almawjudat, the wonders of creation is a book in arabic and an important work of cosmography by zakariya alqazwini, who. According to the nlm website, the original book was created by abu yahya zakariya ibn muhammad ibn mahmudalqazwini ca. The wonders of creation and the oddities of existence, a. Alqazwinis wonders of creation the british library.
The second is a 17thcentury ottoman turkish translation of the first part on the supraterrestrial creatures of kitab ajaib almakhluqat waghara ib almawjudat the wonders of creation, a twopart cosmography by zakariya ibn muhammad alqazwini 120383. Ajaib almakhluqat wagharaib almawjudat marvels of creation. Manuscript of the wonders of creation and the oddities of. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. The wonders of creation, was first compiled in arabic in the middle 1200s in wasit, now in iraq, and is an important encyclopedic text of medieval islam. The mineral book is part of the master books wonders of creation series. Al qazwini relegates it to his section on differing opinions of the ancients on the shape and location of earth.
An open book showing a hand drawn circular map of water and landmasses. Alsufis book of the constellations of the fixed stars. His book the wonders of creation is also a work of pure fiction. A beautifully illustrated study of alqazwinis wonders of creation and the first ever translations of the text into english the subject of this book is the socalled.
This is an illuminated and illustrated copy of a persian version of the famous. Qazwinis angelology is rooted in the quran the muslim holy book. A book of creatures a complete guide to entities of myth. Alqazwini collected, edited and assembled a large body of literary works into a single text that reflects the cultural world of. A richly illuminated 16th century ce copy of the persian version of qazwini s. The wonders of creation by persian scholar zakariy al. The wonders of creation, a 16thcentury edition of a medieval cosmography by persian scholar zakariya al qazwini 12031283. The wonders of creation and the oddities of existence was compiled in 1270 by zakariya qazwini, a judge living in wasit in iraq. Zakariya ibn muhammad alqazwini circa 120383, was a. The codex was completed in 1121 ahad 1717 by muhammad ibn muhammad shakir ruzmahi.
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