Abstract: The item consists of copies and extracts of correspondence, minutes and resolutions cited in, or enclosed with, letters from the Government of Bombay. The item is chiefly concerned with the Government of Bombay's opinions on the draft Treaty negotiated between the Pasha of Egypt and John Benzoni, Assistant to British Agency in the Red Sea, which relates to trade between India, Cairo, Alexandria, Abyssinia and Malta. In particular, the item refers to:The Government of Bombay's criticisms of Captain Rudland, Agent in the Gulph [Gulf] of Arabia, and his Assistant Benzoni for going beyond the remit of their mission by including commercial interests in their negotiations with the Pasha of Egypt, whereas their principal object was to secure safe passage of packets from India to Europe through EgyptAttempts by Captain Rudland to defend himself against the above criticismDiscussions of particular articles within the draft Treaty, including the stipulation that the Pasha of Egypt would guarantee the neutrality of the country in the event that France forced Turkey to enter into a war against Great Britain, and the emphasis by the Government of Bombay that only the authorities in England could decide on the question of forming a more intimate connection with EgyptThe Government of Bombay's confusion as to how the draft Treaty differs from the current understanding between England and EgyptThe Government of Bombay's decision to convey to the Pasha of Egypt that they must decline to ratify the Treaty.The item also contains a copy of the provisional Treaty of Commerce between Mehmed Ally Pasha [Muḥammad ʻAlī Pāshā], Viceroy of Egypt, and Benzoni (ff 96 - 102).Correspondents: Government of Bombay; Henry Rudland, Agent in the Gulph of Arabia; Louis Cini, merchant at Grand Cairo; John Benzoni, Assistant to the British Agency in the Red Sea; Samuel Briggs, British Consul at Alexandria; Gilbert Lord Minto, Governor General in Council at Fort William; Jonathan Duncan, Governor of Bombay; Government of Bengal; George Osborne, Secretary to the Government of Bombay.The title page of the item contains the following references: 'Political No. 20, Season 1814/15, Draft 20' and 'Examiner's Office November 1812'.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 78, and terminates at f 111, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: This volume contains two works, Tarikh al-Khulafa’ (History of the caliphs) by al-Sūyūtī (1445−1505) and Athar al-Uwal fi Tartib al-Duwal (Primary indicators of well-regulated states) by al-Hasan ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-‘Abbāsī (died circa 1310). Al-Sūyūtī is renowned for his writings in the Islamic sciences, although not necessarily for this historical work. History of the Caliphs remains in print as a standard summation of the Sunni view of the rule of succession after the Prophet Muhammad’s death. The work reveals a gift for selection and synthesis rather than original interpretation, a characteristic of much of al-Sūyūtī’s writing. The author of the associated work, al-Hasan al-ʻAbbāsī, is said to have been related to the Abbasid caliph Hārūn al-Rashīd, but this may be apocryphal. The work should be considered a “mirror for princes” rather than an historical work. It provides advice on behavior for rulers, including admonitions on the treatment of subjects (e.g., tradesmen and farmers) and choice of counsellors, as well as such details as dress, menus, and etiquette at meals. Principles of behavior are rooted in the Qur’an and sayings of the Prophet, with frequent examples drawn from the lives of the prophets and rulers of old such as Moses and King David. History of the Caliphs is the main work in the volume. Primary Indicators is printed on its margins. Including a second work on the margin of a main text was common practice in the manuscript era, and often carried over into early printed books. Although it is no longer common, books are still produced with works on the margins to this day.Physical description: 2216 pages ; 28 centimeters
Abstract: This secret file is a collection of printed correspondence. It contains telegrams between Joshua Milne Crompton Cheetham, Acting High Commissioner at Cairo, and the Foreign Office, letters from and correspondence between Shaikh Abdalla Ibn Hosayn [Abd Allāh ibn al-Husayn] and his father, Hussein bin Ali [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī ], Sherif of Mecca, and Mr Storrs, Oriental Secretary to the British Representative in Cairo and Sir McMahon, High Commissioner in Cairo. The subject of the correspondence is the Arab revolt to obtain independence from the Ottoman Empire, with the Sherif writing to the British to request protection and acknowledgment of the Arab countries' independence under an Arab Caliphate.Physical description: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: This book is a modern scholarly edition of the seminal work by al-Jurjani (died circa 1078) on Arabic rhetoric, Asrar al-balaghah fi ‘ilm al-bayan (The secrets of metaphor in rhetoric), especially the branch called al-bayan (use of metaphor and figures of speech), of which he is considered the founder. In the classical context, ‘ilm al-balaghah (rhetoric) is divided into three interconnected arts, al-ma’ani (clear expression); al-bayan; and badi’ (embellishment and beautiful style). Al-Jurjani’s study of the stylistic and psychological importance of metaphor received widespread acceptance by classical Arabic writers and remains a source of discussion and research in modern linguistics. The work is carefully organized. After defining a particular figure of speech and pointing to its differences from other types of metaphor, al-Jurjani gives examples from leading poets such as Abu Nuwas (756-814) and al-Mutannabi (915-65) and from proverbs and sayings. He then dissects the passages with reference to the morphology of the tropes. This edition, by no means the only published rendering of known manuscripts, was edited by the Lebanese-Egyptian reformer and publicist Muhammad Rashid Rida. Rida was a prominent exponent of a modern Islam, which he believed should acknowledge its scriptural roots while adapting to Western modes of expression. Neither Rashid Rida (as he is commonly called) nor his elder associate, Muhammad ‘Abduh, were known for their textual scholarship, so this text edition is not often cited in standard bibliographies. In his introduction, Rida mentions that his interest in Asrar al-balaghah derived from a desire to rescue contemporary Arabic letters from what he termed the “sickness” that had afflicted the language since the fifth century AH (12th century), and the study of which had become merely “another of the languages taught in schools.” He discussed this problem with ‘Abduh. Together they searched for and had copied several manuscripts of al-Jurjani’s work in Medina, Tripoli (Lebanon), Baghdad, and Istanbul. The present edition is the fruit of Rida’s comparison of the texts and contains extensive footnoting of variant readings and unusual words and other explanatory commentary. The book was published in Cairo at the al-Taraqqi Press.Physical description: 357 pages ; 25 centimeters
Abstract: Edward Van Dyck was an American diplomat and author who served as consular clerk and vice-consul in Lebanon and Egypt from 1873 to 1882. He was the son of the missionary Cornelius Van Dyck, a medical doctor who was professor of pathology at the Syrian Protestant College (which became the American University of Beirut), but who is well known for his Arabic edition of the Bible. Kitāb iktifā' al-qanūʻ bimā huwa matbuʻ min ashhar al-ta'ālīf al-arabīya fī al-maṭābiʻ al-sharqīya wa al-gharbīya (Contentment of the seeker regarding the most famous Arabic compositions printed by Eastern and Western printing presses) is a bibliographic dictionary of printed works in Arabic, published by Edward Van Dyck in 1896. The book consists of an introduction and three sections. The first section is on "the interest of Europeans in the Arabic language." The second is on "Arabic literature from its origins to shortly after the fall of Baghdad." The third section covers Arabic literature from "the 13th to the 17th century [CE]." The book includes an index of the literary works discussed in the text and an index of authors. The main body of the book was completed on September 9, 1896; however, the indices were not completed until the following year. Following them is a statement: “The indices were finished and the printing completed in April 1897.” The author’s afterword is dated March 1897, so the publication date of 1896 printed on the cover of the entire work appears to be an error. The book was edited by Muḥammad ʻAlī al-Bablawī, and was published by Maṭbaʻat al-ta'ālīf (al-hilāl), in Cairo.Physical description: 677 pages ; 25 centimeters
Abstract: This survey of ancient Egyptian history and customs, published in Cairo in 1923, was intended for the general reader. In the introduction, the author, Anṭūn Zikrī, notes that although there are many works on this subject in foreign languages, the Egyptian who reads only Arabic can find nothing about his own history. The work is illustrated with black and white plates depicting objects in many museums, including the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where Antūn was librarian. Antūn wrote many introductory works on ancient Egypt, including a guide to hieroglyphics, a work on ancient medicine, and a guidebook to the Egyptian Museum and the antiquities of Giza. The ornate title page carries an inscription to King Fuʼād I (1868−1936), whose name is placed between two figures representing ancient servants presenting offerings to the king. The book was printed at Dar al-Ma’arif in Cairo, a press that was founded in 1890 by the Lebanese-born Naǧīb Mitrī and that remains a prominent publisher to this day. The book includes a glossary of pharaonic terms, an index of plates, and a guide to ancient place-names and their modern equivalents.Physical description: 188 pages ; 25 centimeters
Abstract: Al-Khawāṭir al-ḥisān fī al-ma‘ānī wa-al-bayān (Excellence in the rhetorical arts) is an introduction for students to the elements of Arabic composition. The work emphasizes the correct choice of words and the importance of the sentence as the basic building block of written composition and formal speech. The author, Jabr Dumit (1858−1930), was a teacher at the Syrian Evangelical College in Beirut. In this primer of grammar and usage he introduces students to the various kinds of sentences (declarative, interrogative, and so forth), giving examples of grammatical construction and pointing out pitfalls, such as confusion over use of pronouns and their antecedents. He moves from simple prescription to the handling of more complex conditional sentences and embellishments. The work no doubt was intended for use at the mission schools in the Levant. This printing at Al-Hilal Press in Egypt indicates that it was adopted more widely in the region. Dumit was born in Safita (in present-day Syria, near the border with Lebanon). He was educated at American missionary schools and spent much of his teaching life at the schools in Beirut. In 1882 he travelled to Egypt, where he was employed first at the newspaper Al-Mahrusah (The protected one [i.e. Cairo]) and later as a translator with the British armed force sent to the Sudan in 1884−85. He returned to Lebanon, where he died in 1930. Dumit dedicated the book to the memory of American missionary Mrs. Samuel Jessop, whose home he frequented as a child.Physical description: 1276 pages ; 24 centimeters
Abstract: This book is a printed edition of Al-‘Umdah fi Sina’at al-Shi’r wa-Naqdih (The pillar regarding creation and critique of poetry), a foundational text of Arabic literary criticism. The author, Ibn Rashīq al-Qayrawānī, covers poetic history and prosody up to his lifetime in 11th century Qayrawān, the center of intellectual life in Tunisia, then called Al-Ifriqiya. The work is universally known as Ibn Rashiq’s Al-‘Umdah (The pillar). It is also cited as Al-‘Umdah fī maḥāsin al-shiʻr wa-ādābih. Scholarly judgment of Al-‘Umdah holds that although it is not a groundbreaking theoretical work, it is a major reference for and compendium of the religious, social, and stylistic debates regarding poetry from the earliest days of Islam. This edition is in two volumes, “corrected” (i.e., edited) by Muhammad Badr al-Din al-Na’sani al-Halabi. Publication of the work was financed by Muhammad Kamal al-Na’sani and Muhammad ‘Abd al-‘Aziz. It was printed at al-Sa’adah Press in Cairo and distributed from the al-Khanji bookstore. These individuals and organizations were all part of the well-developed printing and publishing trade in early-20th century Cairo. The same editing and publishing team cooperated to bring other classical literary works into print. A biography of Ibn Rashīq (believed by some to have been born in the town of Muhammadiyah where his father was a goldsmith) appears as front matter. A picture of Ibn Rashīq appears on the Tunisian 50 dinar banknote.Physical description: 2 volumes ; 25 centimeters
Abstract: Al-Kashshāf (Commentary) is among the most widely known tafsirs (explications or exegeses) of the Qurʼan. Written in 12th-century Persia by Mahmud ibn ʻUmar Zamakhshari, it remains the object of study and debate among exegetes, who argue against its Mu’tazilite rationalism, even as they recognize its deep learning and linguistic sophistication. The work is taught, if not admired, by all the Sunni and Shia schools of interpretation. Modern scholar Kifayat Ullah states that “no other work in the history of tafsir has been commented on in the forms of glosses, superglosses, supercommentaries, and mukhtasars [abridgements] more than al-Kashshaf.” The breadth and complexity of the arguments are summarized in the book’s subtitle: “On the mysteries of revelation, the perfection of locution, and comprehensive interpretation [of the Qurʼan].” Mu'tazilism’s rational approach to the nature of God and scripture passed from the mainstream of Muslim thought in much of the Islamic world, but it survived in the area of Khurasan (also seen as Khorasan), Iran, the home of Zamakhshari. The author’s challenge to orthodox philosophy, combined with his undisputed mastery of Arabic grammar and philology and his extensive travel to promote his ideas, provided the foundation for the enduring legacy of his tafsir. The work was printed in two volumes in 1864 at the Bulaq Press in Cairo, at the time under the administration of ‘Abd al-Rahman Rushdi and under the scholarly direction of Shaykh Muhammad Qutb al-‘Adawi. The work was edited by Muhammad al-Sabbagh, who may be the author of the notes in the margin of the main text. There is a biographical and critical afterward in rhymed prose, including panegyric poetry and the text of the inscription on the author’s grave in eastern Iran.Physical description: 482 pages ; 28 centimeters
Abstract: Al-Nihāyah fī gharīb al-ḥadīth wa-al-athar (Capstone dictionary of unusual words of hadith and of yore) is a four-volume dictionary of words in the hadiths, or the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, by the medieval scholar Majd al-Din Ibn al-Athir (1149−1210). It is a specialized concordance of unusual or less-common words occurring in hadiths, supplemented by terms from the Qurʼan and early Islamic history. The work was recognized in its day as a significant contribution to lexicography and was incorporated into the magisterial Lisān al-ʻArab (The Arabic language) by Ibn Manzur (died 1311 or 1312). A note lists corrigenda for the Lisān based on Ibn al-Athir’s dictionary. The Ibn al-Athir family, father and sons, is commonly associated with the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, where they taught, wrote, and provided literary substance to the local court. They frequently traveled on diplomatic assignment. Majd al-Din Ibn al-Athir is sometimes confused in the secondary literature with one or the other of his brothers, historian Diyaʻ al-Din (died 1239) or ‘Izz al-Din (died 1233), who was also a scholar and court official but with a more literary bent. A commentary by the well-known Egyptian scholar Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (1445−1505) accompanies the main text in the margin. After teaching in Cairo, al-Suyuti lived much of his life in seclusion. He is recognized for his commentaries on the work of earlier scholars and is the author of Jamiʻ al-jawamiʻ (Compilation of compilations), a standard reference on hadith. The present work was printed at the expense of ʻUthman ʻAbd al-Raziq, owner of the ʻUthmaniyah Press in Cairo, Egypt.Physical description: 4 volumes ; 29 centimeters.