Southern Cathedral (Nan Tang) in Beijing. The Building Shown Here Was Erected in 1861 and Destroyed in 1900 during the Boxer Uprising. China, 1874

June 13, 2012, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: The Great Wall near Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China, 1874

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In 1874-75, the Russian government sent a research and trading mission to China to seek out new overland routes to the Chinese market, report on prospects for increased commerce and locations for consulates and factories, and gather information about the Dungan Revolt then raging in parts of western China. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Iulian A. Sosnovskii of the army General Staff, the nine-man mission included a topographer, Captain Matusovskii; a scientific officer, Dr. Pavel Iakovlevich Piasetskii; Chinese and Russian interpreters; three non-commissioned Cossack soldiers; and the mission photographer, Adolf Erazmovich Boiarskii. The mission proceeded from Saint Petersburg to Shanghai via Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Beijing, and Tianjin, and then followed a route along the Yangtze River, along the Great Silk Road through the Hami oasis, to Lake Zaysan, back to Russia. Boiarskii took some 200 photographs, which constitute a unique resource for the study of China in this period. Most of the photographs are included in this album, which later became part of the Thereza Christina Maria Collection assembled by Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and given by him to the National Library of Brazil.

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The Great Wall near Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China, 1874

June 13, 2012, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: View of the Walls and Gates of Beijing from the Outer Suburbs, Dotted with Fields, Cemeteries, and Villages, 1874

≪ Previous: Southern Cathedral (Nan Tang) in Beijing. The Building Shown Here Was Erected in 1861 and Destroyed in 1900 during the Boxer Uprising. China, 1874

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In 1874-75, the Russian government sent a research and trading mission to China to seek out new overland routes to the Chinese market, report on prospects for increased commerce and locations for consulates and factories, and gather information about the Dungan Revolt then raging in parts of western China. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Iulian A. Sosnovskii of the army General Staff, the nine-man mission included a topographer, Captain Matusovskii; a scientific officer, Dr. Pavel Iakovlevich Piasetskii; Chinese and Russian interpreters; three non-commissioned Cossack soldiers; and the mission photographer, Adolf Erazmovich Boiarskii. The mission proceeded from Saint Petersburg to Shanghai via Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Beijing, and Tianjin, and then followed a route along the Yangtze River, along the Great Silk Road through the Hami oasis, to Lake Zaysan, back to Russia. Boiarskii took some 200 photographs, which constitute a unique resource for the study of China in this period. Most of the photographs are included in this album, which later became part of the Thereza Christina Maria Collection assembled by Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and given by him to the National Library of Brazil.

View of the Walls and Gates of Beijing from the Outer Suburbs, Dotted with Fields, Cemeteries, and Villages, 1874

June 13, 2012, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: The Gates to the Temple of Heaven. Beijing, 1874

≪ Previous: The Great Wall near Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China, 1874

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In 1874-75, the Russian government sent a research and trading mission to China to seek out new overland routes to the Chinese market, report on prospects for increased commerce and locations for consulates and factories, and gather information about the Dungan Revolt then raging in parts of western China. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Iulian A. Sosnovskii of the army General Staff, the nine-man mission included a topographer, Captain Matusovskii; a scientific officer, Dr. Pavel Iakovlevich Piasetskii; Chinese and Russian interpreters; three non-commissioned Cossack soldiers; and the mission photographer, Adolf Erazmovich Boiarskii. The mission proceeded from Saint Petersburg to Shanghai via Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Beijing, and Tianjin, and then followed a route along the Yangtze River, along the Great Silk Road through the Hami oasis, to Lake Zaysan, back to Russia. Boiarskii took some 200 photographs, which constitute a unique resource for the study of China in this period. Most of the photographs are included in this album, which later became part of the Thereza Christina Maria Collection assembled by Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and given by him to the National Library of Brazil.

The Gates to the Temple of Heaven. Beijing, 1874

June 13, 2012, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: The Temple of Heaven Complex (Tian Tan). Beijing, 1874

≪ Previous: View of the Walls and Gates of Beijing from the Outer Suburbs, Dotted with Fields, Cemeteries, and Villages, 1874

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In 1874-75, the Russian government sent a research and trading mission to China to seek out new overland routes to the Chinese market, report on prospects for increased commerce and locations for consulates and factories, and gather information about the Dungan Revolt then raging in parts of western China. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Iulian A. Sosnovskii of the army General Staff, the nine-man mission included a topographer, Captain Matusovskii; a scientific officer, Dr. Pavel Iakovlevich Piasetskii; Chinese and Russian interpreters; three non-commissioned Cossack soldiers; and the mission photographer, Adolf Erazmovich Boiarskii. The mission proceeded from Saint Petersburg to Shanghai via Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Beijing, and Tianjin, and then followed a route along the Yangtze River, along the Great Silk Road through the Hami oasis, to Lake Zaysan, back to Russia. Boiarskii took some 200 photographs, which constitute a unique resource for the study of China in this period. Most of the photographs are included in this album, which later became part of the Thereza Christina Maria Collection assembled by Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and given by him to the National Library of Brazil.

The Temple of Heaven Complex (Tian Tan). Beijing, 1874

June 13, 2012, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: The Russian Cemetery Built in 18th Century. Beijing, 1874

≪ Previous: The Gates to the Temple of Heaven. Beijing, 1874

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In 1874-75, the Russian government sent a research and trading mission to China to seek out new overland routes to the Chinese market, report on prospects for increased commerce and locations for consulates and factories, and gather information about the Dungan Revolt then raging in parts of western China. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Iulian A. Sosnovskii of the army General Staff, the nine-man mission included a topographer, Captain Matusovskii; a scientific officer, Dr. Pavel Iakovlevich Piasetskii; Chinese and Russian interpreters; three non-commissioned Cossack soldiers; and the mission photographer, Adolf Erazmovich Boiarskii. The mission proceeded from Saint Petersburg to Shanghai via Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Beijing, and Tianjin, and then followed a route along the Yangtze River, along the Great Silk Road through the Hami oasis, to Lake Zaysan, back to Russia. Boiarskii took some 200 photographs, which constitute a unique resource for the study of China in this period. Most of the photographs are included in this album, which later became part of the Thereza Christina Maria Collection assembled by Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and given by him to the National Library of Brazil.

The Russian Cemetery Built in 18th Century. Beijing, 1874

June 13, 2012, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: Old Manchu Gentleman in Padded Silk Jacket and Gown with a Jade Archer’s Ring (Banzhi) on His Left Thumb. China, 1874-75

≪ Previous: The Temple of Heaven Complex (Tian Tan). Beijing, 1874

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In 1874-75, the Russian government sent a research and trading mission to China to seek out new overland routes to the Chinese market, report on prospects for increased commerce and locations for consulates and factories, and gather information about the Dungan Revolt then raging in parts of western China. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Iulian A. Sosnovskii of the army General Staff, the nine-man mission included a topographer, Captain Matusovskii; a scientific officer, Dr. Pavel Iakovlevich Piasetskii; Chinese and Russian interpreters; three non-commissioned Cossack soldiers; and the mission photographer, Adolf Erazmovich Boiarskii. The mission proceeded from Saint Petersburg to Shanghai via Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Beijing, and Tianjin, and then followed a route along the Yangtze River, along the Great Silk Road through the Hami oasis, to Lake Zaysan, back to Russia. Boiarskii took some 200 photographs, which constitute a unique resource for the study of China in this period. Most of the photographs are included in this album, which later became part of the Thereza Christina Maria Collection assembled by Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and given by him to the National Library of Brazil.

Old Manchu Gentleman in Padded Silk Jacket and Gown with a Jade Archer’s Ring (Banzhi) on His Left Thumb. China, 1874-75

June 13, 2012, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: Palace of the Supreme Religious Authority (Hutuhta) in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, 1874

≪ Previous: The Russian Cemetery Built in 18th Century. Beijing, 1874

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In 1874-75, the Russian government sent a research and trading mission to China to seek out new overland routes to the Chinese market, report on prospects for increased commerce and locations for consulates and factories, and gather information about the Dungan Revolt then raging in parts of western China. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Iulian A. Sosnovskii of the army General Staff, the nine-man mission included a topographer, Captain Matusovskii; a scientific officer, Dr. Pavel Iakovlevich Piasetskii; Chinese and Russian interpreters; three non-commissioned Cossack soldiers; and the mission photographer, Adolf Erazmovich Boiarskii. The mission proceeded from Saint Petersburg to Shanghai via Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Beijing, and Tianjin, and then followed a route along the Yangtze River, along the Great Silk Road through the Hami oasis, to Lake Zaysan, back to Russia. Boiarskii took some 200 photographs, which constitute a unique resource for the study of China in this period. Most of the photographs are included in this album, which later became part of the Thereza Christina Maria Collection assembled by Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and given by him to the National Library of Brazil.

Palace of the Supreme Religious Authority (Hutuhta) in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, 1874

June 13, 2012, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: The Great Wall near Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China, 1874

≪ Previous: Old Manchu Gentleman in Padded Silk Jacket and Gown with a Jade Archer’s Ring (Banzhi) on His Left Thumb. China, 1874-75

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In 1874-75, the Russian government sent a research and trading mission to China to seek out new overland routes to the Chinese market, report on prospects for increased commerce and locations for consulates and factories, and gather information about the Dungan Revolt then raging in parts of western China. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Iulian A. Sosnovskii of the army General Staff, the nine-man mission included a topographer, Captain Matusovskii; a scientific officer, Dr. Pavel Iakovlevich Piasetskii; Chinese and Russian interpreters; three non-commissioned Cossack soldiers; and the mission photographer, Adolf Erazmovich Boiarskii. The mission proceeded from Saint Petersburg to Shanghai via Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Beijing, and Tianjin, and then followed a route along the Yangtze River, along the Great Silk Road through the Hami oasis, to Lake Zaysan, back to Russia. Boiarskii took some 200 photographs, which constitute a unique resource for the study of China in this period. Most of the photographs are included in this album, which later became part of the Thereza Christina Maria Collection assembled by Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and given by him to the National Library of Brazil.

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The Great Wall near Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China, 1874

June 13, 2012, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: A Chinese Man in Silk Brocade Jacket and Plain Gown. China, 1874-75

≪ Previous: Palace of the Supreme Religious Authority (Hutuhta) in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, 1874

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In 1874-75, the Russian government sent a research and trading mission to China to seek out new overland routes to the Chinese market, report on prospects for increased commerce and locations for consulates and factories, and gather information about the Dungan Revolt then raging in parts of western China. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Iulian A. Sosnovskii of the army General Staff, the nine-man mission included a topographer, Captain Matusovskii; a scientific officer, Dr. Pavel Iakovlevich Piasetskii; Chinese and Russian interpreters; three non-commissioned Cossack soldiers; and the mission photographer, Adolf Erazmovich Boiarskii. The mission proceeded from Saint Petersburg to Shanghai via Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Beijing, and Tianjin, and then followed a route along the Yangtze River, along the Great Silk Road through the Hami oasis, to Lake Zaysan, back to Russia. Boiarskii took some 200 photographs, which constitute a unique resource for the study of China in this period. Most of the photographs are included in this album, which later became part of the Thereza Christina Maria Collection assembled by Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and given by him to the National Library of Brazil.

A Chinese Man in Silk Brocade Jacket and Plain Gown. China, 1874-75

June 13, 2012, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: Russian Scientific-Commercial Expedition to China, 1874-75

≪ Previous: The Great Wall near Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China, 1874

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In 1874-75, the Russian government sent a research and trading mission to China to seek out new overland routes to the Chinese market, report on prospects for increased commerce and locations for consulates and factories, and gather information about the Dungan Revolt then raging in parts of western China. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Iulian A. Sosnovskii of the army General Staff, the nine-man mission included a topographer, Captain Matusovskii; a scientific officer, Dr. Pavel Iakovlevich Piasetskii; Chinese and Russian interpreters; three non-commissioned Cossack soldiers; and the mission photographer, Adolf Erazmovich Boiarskii. The mission proceeded from Saint Petersburg to Shanghai via Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Beijing, and Tianjin, and then followed a route along the Yangtze River, along the Great Silk Road through the Hami oasis, to Lake Zaysan, back to Russia. Boiarskii took some 200 photographs, which constitute a unique resource for the study of China in this period. Most of the photographs are included in this album, which later became part of the Thereza Christina Maria Collection assembled by Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and given by him to the National Library of Brazil.

Russian Scientific-Commercial Expedition to China, 1874-75

June 13, 2012, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: A Chinese Government Officer, Head of Cantonment of Cavalry, in Official Uniform on His Horse. Hubei Province, China, 1874

≪ Previous: A Chinese Man in Silk Brocade Jacket and Plain Gown. China, 1874-75

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In 1874-75, the Russian government sent a research and trading mission to China to seek out new overland routes to the Chinese market, report on prospects for increased commerce and locations for consulates and factories, and gather information about the Dungan Revolt then raging in parts of western China. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Iulian A. Sosnovskii of the army General Staff, the nine-man mission included a topographer, Captain Matusovskii; a scientific officer, Dr. Pavel Iakovlevich Piasetskii; Chinese and Russian interpreters; three non-commissioned Cossack soldiers; and the mission photographer, Adolf Erazmovich Boiarskii. The mission proceeded from Saint Petersburg to Shanghai via Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Beijing, and Tianjin, and then followed a route along the Yangtze River, along the Great Silk Road through the Hami oasis, to Lake Zaysan, back to Russia. Boiarskii took some 200 photographs, which constitute a unique resource for the study of China in this period. Most of the photographs are included in this album, which later became part of the Thereza Christina Maria Collection assembled by Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and given by him to the National Library of Brazil.

A Chinese Government Officer, Head of Cantonment of Cavalry, in Official Uniform on His Horse. Hubei Province, China, 1874

June 13, 2012, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: A Chinese Military Officer, Tidu, in Official Uniform on His Horse. Hubei Province, China, 1874

≪ Previous: Russian Scientific-Commercial Expedition to China, 1874-75

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In 1874-75, the Russian government sent a research and trading mission to China to seek out new overland routes to the Chinese market, report on prospects for increased commerce and locations for consulates and factories, and gather information about the Dungan Revolt then raging in parts of western China. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Iulian A. Sosnovskii of the army General Staff, the nine-man mission included a topographer, Captain Matusovskii; a scientific officer, Dr. Pavel Iakovlevich Piasetskii; Chinese and Russian interpreters; three non-commissioned Cossack soldiers; and the mission photographer, Adolf Erazmovich Boiarskii. The mission proceeded from Saint Petersburg to Shanghai via Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Beijing, and Tianjin, and then followed a route along the Yangtze River, along the Great Silk Road through the Hami oasis, to Lake Zaysan, back to Russia. Boiarskii took some 200 photographs, which constitute a unique resource for the study of China in this period. Most of the photographs are included in this album, which later became part of the Thereza Christina Maria Collection assembled by Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and given by him to the National Library of Brazil.

A Chinese Military Officer, Tidu, in Official Uniform on His Horse. Hubei Province, China, 1874

June 13, 2012, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: Map of California Shown as an Island

≪ Previous: A Chinese Government Officer, Head of Cantonment of Cavalry, in Official Uniform on His Horse. Hubei Province, China, 1874

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In 1874-75, the Russian government sent a research and trading mission to China to seek out new overland routes to the Chinese market, report on prospects for increased commerce and locations for consulates and factories, and gather information about the Dungan Revolt then raging in parts of western China. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Iulian A. Sosnovskii of the army General Staff, the nine-man mission included a topographer, Captain Matusovskii; a scientific officer, Dr. Pavel Iakovlevich Piasetskii; Chinese and Russian interpreters; three non-commissioned Cossack soldiers; and the mission photographer, Adolf Erazmovich Boiarskii. The mission proceeded from Saint Petersburg to Shanghai via Ulan Bator (Mongolia), Beijing, and Tianjin, and then followed a route along the Yangtze River, along the Great Silk Road through the Hami oasis, to Lake Zaysan, back to Russia. Boiarskii took some 200 photographs, which constitute a unique resource for the study of China in this period. Most of the photographs are included in this album, which later became part of the Thereza Christina Maria Collection assembled by Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and given by him to the National Library of Brazil.

Map of California Shown as an Island

June 14, 2012, 8:51 am

≫ Next: Map of a Part of the Island of Cuba and of the Bahamas

≪ Previous: A Chinese Military Officer, Tidu, in Official Uniform on His Horse. Hubei Province, China, 1874

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Joan Vinckeboons (1616/17-70) was a Dutch cartographer and engraver born into a family of artists of Flemish origin. He was in the employ of the Dutch West India Company and produced maps for over 30 years for use by Dutch mercantile and military shipping. He was a business partner of Joan Blaeu, one of the most important map and atlas publishers of the day. Vinckeboons drew a series of 200 manuscript maps that were used in the production of atlases, including Blaeu’s Atlas Major. This map from around 1650 shows California as an island. A half-century would pass before Spanish explorers determined with certainty that California was connected to the mainland of North America. Place names are carefully indicated on the map in red and black, and include, for example, Cape San Lucas (at the tip of present-day Baja California), Mexico, and the Tres Maria Islands off the coast of the Mexican mainland. The map is part of the Henry Harrisse Manuscript Collection in the Library of Congress.

Map of a Part of the Island of Cuba and of the Bahamas

June 14, 2012, 8:51 am

≫ Next: Map of the Complete Island of Cuba

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Joan Vinckeboons (1616/17-70) was a Dutch cartographer and engraver born into a family of artists of Flemish origin. He was in the employ of the Dutch West India Company and produced maps for over 30 years for use by Dutch mercantile and military shipping. This map of a portion of central Cuba and the Bahamas reflects the careful mapping that the Dutch West India Company undertook to facilitate safe and successful navigation in that region. The map identifies the Bahamas Channel (i.e., the Gulf Stream) that served as the main shipping channel along the east coast of North America for return voyages to Europe. It also includes coastline, coastal features, navigational hazards, islands, pictorial representation of relief, settlements, numerous rhumb lines, and an ornate wind rose. Sites along the Florida coast from Cape Canaveral to the Keys are identified. The island of Guanihani is located in the Bahamas. Geographic names appear either in Spanish or Dutch. The map is part of the Henry Harrisse Manuscript Collection in the Library of Congress.

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Map of the Complete Island of Cuba

June 14, 2012, 8:51 am

≫ Next: Map of the Islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico

≪ Previous: Map of a Part of the Island of Cuba and of the Bahamas

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Joan Vinckeboons (circa 1616–70) was a Dutch cartographer and engraver born into a family of artists of Flemish origin. He was in the employ of the Dutch West India Company and for more than 30 years produced maps for use by Dutch mercantile and military shipping. He was a business partner of Joan Blaeu, one of the most important map and atlas publishers of the day. Vinckeboons drew a series of 200 manuscript maps that were used in the production of atlases, including Blaeu’s Atlas Major. This circa 1639 map of Cuba includes the coastline, coastal features, soundings, navigational hazards, settlements, streams, pictorial representation of relief, and numerous rhumb lines used for navigation. The map was once part of a manuscript atlas belonging to the Dutch firm of Gerard Hulst van Keulen, which published sea atlases and pilots for over two centuries. With the demise of the firm, the atlas was acquired and broken up by the Amsterdam book dealer Frederik Muller, who in 1887 sold 13 maps from the atlas attributed to Vinckeboons to the collector and bibliographer Henry Harrisse. The map is part of the Henry Harrisse Collection in the Library of Congress.

Map of the Islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico

June 14, 2012, 8:51 am

≫ Next: The Abridged Amusement of the Calculator from "The Guide"

≪ Previous: Map of the Complete Island of Cuba

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Joan Vinckeboons (circa 1616–70) was a Dutch cartographer and engraver born into a family of artists of Flemish origin. He was in the employ of the Dutch West India Company and for more than 30 years produced maps for use by Dutch mercantile and military shipping. He was a business partner of Joan Blaeu, one of the most important map and atlas publishers of the day. Vinckeboons drew a series of 200 manuscript maps that were used in the production of atlases, including Blaeu’s Atlas Major. This circa 1639 map shows the Caribbean islands of Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and Puerto Rico. The map includes coastlines, coastal features, navigational hazards, settlements, administrative districts, streams, pictorial representation of relief, and rhumb lines for navigation. Geographic names appear either in Spanish or Dutch. The map was once part of a manuscript atlas belonging to the Dutch firm of Gerard Hulst van Keulen, which published sea atlases and pilots for over two centuries. With the demise of the firm, the atlas was acquired and broken up by the Amsterdam book dealer Frederik Muller, who in 1887 sold 13 maps from the atlas attributed to Vinckeboons to the collector and bibliographer Henry Harrisse. The map is part of the Henry Harrisse Collection in the Library of Congress.

The Abridged Amusement of the Calculator from "The Guide"

June 14, 2012, 11:03 am

≫ Next: The Little Sparkles on the Science of Calculation

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Much traditional scholarship holds that the period after about 1250 saw a decline in the production of scientific and philosophical works in the Arab world. This view is challenged by the impressive number of manuscripts written after that date in different Arabic-speaking countries that contain original treatises and commentaries. The work preserved in this manuscript, Nuzhat al-Hussāb al-Muhtasara min al-Muršida (The abridged amusement of the calculator from The guide), is a shorter version of Muršida fī Sina’at al-Gubar (The guide to the art of the numerals), an extensive treatise on arithmetical operations written by Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ha’im (1356–1412) around the end of the 14th century. After completing his studies in Cairo, Ibn al-Hāʼim left for Jerusalem, where he worked as a teacher of mathematics until his death. Several of his works, and especially the Nuzhat al-Hussāb, have a clear educational aim. The introductory section, in which the author describes the Hindi numerals and their correspondences with the traditional Arabic alphabetical numeration (abjad), is followed by a lengthy exposition on the four arithmetical operations: addition (jam‘), subtraction (tarh), multiplication (darb), and division (qisma). Ibn al-Ha’im's activity as a professor did not prevent him from devising particularly witty solutions for mathematical problems: he is credited with the discovery of a method for solving general second-degree equations without using divisions of fractions.

The Little Sparkles on the Science of Calculation

June 14, 2012, 11:04 am

≫ Next: Commentary by Islam's Sheikh Zakariyya al-Ansari on Ibn al-Hā’im's Poem on the Science of Algebra and Balancing Called the Creator's Epiphany in Explaining the Cogent

≪ Previous: The Abridged Amusement of the Calculator from "The Guide"

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The treatise preserved in this manuscript, Al-Luma‘al-yasīra fī ‘ilm al-hisāb (The little sparkles on the science of calculation), deals with Muslim inheritance. Of the social innovations that came with the Islamic conquest, the introduction of the system of fara'id (shares) for inheritances was one of the most radical and socially advanced. The fourth surah of the Qur'an, verses 11–12, criticizes the traditional pre-Islamic system of agnatic succession, under which only men could inherit property, and provides for a proportional division among all the heirs, women included. The exact reckoning of the shares of inheritance became a delicate and complex subject within Islamic law, and Muslim intellectuals devised mathematical tools to simplify the calculations implied in the ‘ilm al-fara'id (the science of the shares). This work, written in the last years of the 14th century, is a contribution on this subject by Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ha’im (1356–1412). The treatise is not confined to problems of inheritance: Ibn al-Ha’im introduces his arguments with extensive passages on numbers, their types and different features, and devotes most of the work to discussing multiplication (darb) and division (qisma).

Commentary by Islam's Sheikh Zakariyya al-Ansari on Ibn al-Hā’im's Poem on the Science of Algebra and Balancing Called the Creator's Epiphany in Explaining the Cogent

June 14, 2012, 11:04 am

≫ Next: Paul Ferdinand Gachet. Etching by V. van Gogh, 1890

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This work is a commentary on a versified, 59-line introduction to algebra, entitled Al-Muqni‘ fī al-jabr wa al-muqābila, by the prolific and influential mathematician, jurist, and man of letters Abū al-‘Abbās Shihāb al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī al-Maqdisī al-Shāfi‘ī, known as Ibn al-Hā’im (circa 1356-1412 [circa 753-815 AH]). It clarifies the nomenclature and explains the basic concepts of algebra, and provides succinct examples. The manuscript, completed on Thursday night, 8 Sha‘bān 1305 AH (March 21, 1888), is in the hand of Tāhā ibn Yūsuf.