Full catalogue record in Fihrist: Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate WorldThe Cyranides is one of the works of the Hermetic corpus, the body of writings ascribed to Hermes Trismegistos. Hermes Trismegistos was a Hellenistic incarnation of the ancient Egyptian Thoth, and the god of all magic, alchemy and astrology. Arabic Hermetic literature continues the Greek tradition; in Islam Hermes is the inventor of all arts and sciences, and master of astronomy, numbers, poisons, chemistry, medicine, &c. This manuscript contains a translation or adaptation from the Greek of part of Book 1 of the Cyranides. The Cyranides is divided into 24 chapters, one for each letter of the Greek alphabet. Under each letter are represented a plant, a bird, a stone and a sea animal, all of whose names begin with that letter. Their individual occult influences combine to produce a new composite effect.Leaf.
Full catalogue record in Hebrew and Judaica Manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries, Oxford University"Contents: Archimedes' two books on sphere and cylinder (ff. 1r-28v). Jordanus RufusHebrew translation of Jordanus Rufus' treatise on the hyppiaritic (ff. 34r-80r). Tura di CastelloOn the use of the waters of Poreta (ff. 87r-97v). Ibrāhīm ibn Yaḥya ZarqālīAstronomical treatise on the tables of Ibn el-Zarqala (Azarchiel) (ff. 100v-120r). Jacob ben Machir Ibn TibbonTreatise on the astrolabe in sixteen chapters (ff. 121r-142r). Jacob ben Machir Ibn TibbonTreatise on the astrolabe in forty chapters (f. 142v)."
Full catalogue record in Fihrist: Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate WorldPortolan atlas containing a world map, regional maps of the Mediterranean, and astronomical and chronological tables; undated manuscript of a work compiled c.1571.
Full catalogue record in Fihrist: Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate WorldThe Zij (Astronomical and chronological tables) of Ulugh Beg is a monument to the last great flowering of astronomy in the Islamic world. Ulugh Beg (1393-1449 CE), the grandson of Tamerlane, built a famous observatory at Samarkand which has been described as the main centre of astronomical research in the world in its time. On the basis of their observations at Samarkand, Ulugh Beg and his collaborators compiled the Zij, of which this manuscript contains the second revised edition.Leaf.
Binding: Late 16th or early 17th century calf over wooden boards, with blind-tooled panels and rolls and centrepiece ornaments on both boards; sewn onto four supports, with raised bands; remains of metal clasps; text block edges sprinkled red.Full catalogue description in SOLOContents note: Includes vocalised text of Five Scrolls. Some marginal manuscript annotations in Hebrew in Sephardi cursive script.Decoration: Title page decorated with simple floral motifs.Dimensions: 200mm (height) x 158mm (width) x 48mm (depth).Layout: Biblical text in a larger square script and vocalised; Almosnino’s commentary that surrounds it is in a semi-cursive script. Hebrew types resembling square and semi-cursive scripts.Moses Almosnino was an eminent Jewish rabbi in the Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth century (born in Salonica in ca. 1515 and died in Constantinople in ca. 1580). He was known for his erudition not only in the rabbinic sources but also for his interest in science, i.e. natural physics and astronomy. His ‘Yede Mosheh’ (Hands of Moses) that was printed in Salonica, around 1571-1572 is the first edition of his lengthy commentary on the biblical Five scrolls (i.e. the books of Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther).
Dimensions: 250 × 170 mm (size of leaf).Record origin: Emile Savage-Smith, A Descriptive Catalogue of Oriental Manuscripts at St John’s College Oxford (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005).MS 103 is the earliest recorded copy of al-A‘raj al Nīsābūrī’s commentary on Naṣīr al-Dīn Ṭūsī’s al-Tadhkirah fī ‘ilm al-hay’ah (‘Memoir on the Science of Astronomy’). The item also includes some incidental Arabic poetry.