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Creation and History
Al-Badʼ wa-al-tārīkh (Creation and history) is a universal history from the Creation until the end of the reign of Abbasid caliph al-Muti in 974. It is not a particularly good example of historical...
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The Perfection of Eloquence: The Letters of Shams al-Maʻali Qabus ibn Washmakir
Kamāl al-balāghah wa huwa rasāʼil Shams al-Maʻālī Qābūs ibn Washmakīr (The perfection of eloquence: The letters of Shams al-Maʻali Qabus ibn Washmakir) is a critical edition of a little-known...
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Map of Arabia, the Persian Gulf, and the Red Sea; Including Egypt, Nubia, and...
This map of the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding areas was most likely created by the French cartographer and hydrologist Rigobert Bonne (1727−94). It is probably a proof copy of the map of the same...
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Marginal Notes on the Commentary on the Précis of Astronomy
This astronomical manuscript is comprised of notes by al-Birjandi on a treatise by Qadi’zadah, which is itself a commentary on a work by al-Jighmini entitled al-Mulkhkhas fi al-hay’ah (Précis of...
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The Brilliant Lantern, or Commentary on the Lesser Compilation of the Hadiths...
This work in four volumes is a commentary on a collection of hadiths, al-Jami’ al-saghir (The lesser compilation), by the famous Egyptian scholar Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (1445−1505). The commentary, by...
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Thirty-two Years with Islam (1832-1864)
Trente-deux ans a travers l'Islam (1832-1864) (Thirty-two years with Islam [1832-1864]) is a memoir by French soldier and diplomat Léon Roches (1809−1901), covering his career in North Africa and other...
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Map of the Turkish Empire
This map shows the Ottoman Empire as it appeared in the early 17th century. It details Ottoman territories in Asia, Africa, and Europe, and includes Persia, Transcaucasia, Ethiopia, and other...
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Lands of the Emperor of the Turks or the Ottoman Sultan in Asia, Africa, and...
This map shows the Ottoman Empire as it was conceived in Europe in the last quarter of the 17th century. It is a reprint, dated 1679, of an earlier edition possibly included in a series of world...
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Textbook on Arabic Grammar and Usage
This manuscript is a guide for Christian students of the Arabic language. It was written by Jirmanus Farhat (circa 1670–1732), a prominent Maronite clergyman, and copied after his death for use as a...
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The Treasure of Exactitudes: On the Doctrine of the Great Imam Abu Hanifa...
Kanz al-daqa’iq (The treasure of exactitudes) is a summary of Islamic legal prescriptions according to the Hanifite school of sharia law. It covers many aspects of ritual and of personal life, such as...
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Path of Eloquence
This manuscript is a copy of Nahj al-balāghah (Path of eloquence), the classic compendium of the sermons, writings, and aphorisms of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (died 661), the fourth caliph. This work is...
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The Enwreathed Pearl: The Conquest of Mecca, the Revered
This manuscript relates the history of the fath (conquest) of Mecca, the commercial and religious capital of Arabia, by the Prophet Muhammad in 630. The work is an abridged version, drawn from the...
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The Paradisal Epistle
This manuscript is an anthology of works in prose by the Persian poet Tughra-yi Mashhadi (died before 1667−68). Risālah-ʼi Firdawsīya (The paradisal epistle) is the name of the first item in the...
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An Offering for Religious Scholars
Tuḥfat al-ʻulamā’ (An offering for religious scholars) is ostensibly a tract addressed to the ʻulamā’ (religious scholars) of Afghanistan, asking them to actively discourage the suspicion held by their...
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An Offering for Kings
Tuḥfat al-mulūk (An offering for kings) is a collection of dicta that was written by order of ʻAbd al-Rahman Khan (also seen as Abdur Rahman Khan), who ruled Afghanistan from 1880 to 1901. The work...
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History of Nadir Shah
Tārīkh-i Nādirī (The history of Nadir) is a historical work that chronicles the political and military career of Nadir Shah, who was born in 1688 and rose to power in Iran during the 1720s; he became...
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On the Obedience of the Ruler in Pashto
Risālah-i Puṣhto It̤āʻat-i ūlā al-amr (On the obedience of the ruler in Pashto) is a tract meant to encourage obedience to the ruler of Afghanistan. The expression ūlā al-amr refers to one who is...
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Military Uniform Regulation Book
Niẓāmnāmah-i albisah-i ʼaskarīyah (Military uniform regulation book) contains the uniform and dress regulations for the Afghan military under the rule of Amanullah Khan (reigned from 1919 to 1929). The...
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Knowledge of the Earth
As is stated in the introductory chapter, the subject of Maʻrifat al-arz̤ (Knowledge of the Earth, or Introduction to geology) is “the structure and the continual evolution that [the Earth] has been...
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The Stanchion of Divine Precepts
ʻUmdat al-farāʼiz̤(The stanchion of divine precepts) is a 1914 book on the laws of inheritance as described in the sharia (Islamic law). In the opening pages, the author, Nik Muhammad, formally praises...
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