‎Moyen orient‎

‎[Ashtiname].‎

‎Ashtiname of the Prophet Muhammad, for the Christians of Egypt. Legal document certified by Isma'il, the Ottoman qadi of Egypt. Ottoman Egypt, 18th century.‎

‎Folio (213 x 442 mm). Black Naskhi on paper, decorated with an illuminated sarlowh in red and blue. Mounted on cloth. Rare 18th century copy of the "Ashtiname" (Covenant), a charter granting protection and other privileges to the followers of Jesus, issued to the Christian monks of St Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, supposedly by the Prophet Muhammad and dated Muharram of the year 2 of the Hegira. - A handwritten copy of a famous document from the early history of Islam: it assures the Christian populations of the protection of their property as well as their places of worship, among other privileges. While the authenticity of the text has been called into question by many scholars, the history of its reception over the centuries remains a fascinating subject. The supposed original document, which was given by the Prophet Muhammad to the monks of St Catherine's Monastery in Sinai, was confiscated by Sultan Selim I (ruled 1512-20) during his campaign in Egypt and Syria in 1516/17. Subsequently, numerous copies were drawn up so as to renew the protection offered to Christians. Their authenticity is assured by the certification of a qadi, our document bearing the signature of the qadi of Egypt, a certain Isma'il, affixed by way of a seal in the right margin of the document. - Minor repairs and dampstaining, but well preserved.‎

‎Bonfils, Félix, and studio.‎

‎Photographies de Terre Sainte. Jerusalem, F. F. Marroum, [ca. 1880s].‎

‎Oblong folio (340 x 250 mm). 48 albumen photographs mounted on card, each approximately 225 x 280 mm. Contemporary olive wooden boards decorated with the cross of Jerusalem; red calf spine. A thorough collection of Bonfils studio photography of Palestine and surroundings. - Félix Bonfils (1831-85) was a French-born photographer who had come to the Levant with General d'Hautpoul in 1860 and remained active in the East. Based in Beirut, Bonfils produced thousands of photographs depicting Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Greece and other parts of the Ottoman Empire. In the early days of Western tourism to the Middle East, his works soon became popular as souvenirs. - The photographs largely depict views in and around Jerusalem as well as six portrait and group shots showing traditional fashions. Included are scenes of Jaffa, the exterior and interior of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the "Mosque of Omar" (Dome of the Rock, Qubbat as-Sakhra) and the Al-Aqsa (Qibli) Mosque, scenes of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, among others. The handsome olive binding, with its carved cross and decorative inlay, underlines the value of Bonfils photographs as fine mementos of trips to the Holy Land in the late 19th century, during a rise in tourism European tourism and interest in the Levant. - Light exterior wear; well preserved.‎

‎Bonfils, Félix, et al.‎

‎[Photograph album - the Holy Land]. [Palestine, ca. 1880s].‎

‎Oblong folio (360 x 260 mm). 96 albumen photographs mounted on card. Contemporary vellum elaborately ruled in floral gilt. A thorough collection of late 19th century Holy Land souvenir photographs, featuring photography by American Colony, the Bonfils studio, and others, depicting views of Cairo, Palestine, and surroundings. - Félix Bonfils (1831-85) was a French-born photographer who had come to the Levant with General d'Hautpoul in 1860 and remained active in the East. Based in Beirut, Bonfils produced thousands of photographs depicting Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Greece and other parts of the Ottoman Empire. In the early days of Western tourism to the Middle East, his works soon became popular as souvenirs. - The photographs depict views in and around Palestine and Egypt, including scenes of grotto chapels and many interior scenes of churches and mosques, including the Al-Aqsa (Qibli) Mosque, the Mosque of Omar, the Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha, Al-Azhar Mosque, and Sultan Qaytbay's mosque and mausoleum complex. - Bookseller's ticket of C. Glingler, Rome, to front pastedown. Light wear and fading to photographs. A handsomely bound collection.‎

‎[British Royal Navy photo album].‎

‎[The British Royal Navy in the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean]. [Various places, 1931-1932].‎

‎Oblong folio (335 x 245 mm). 188 silver gelatin photographs, one hand-tinted, mostly 105 x 80 mm, mounted in photo corners with handwritten captions. Original green cloth binding with hand-drawn map of Africa, Europe, and Asia on the front pastedown labelled "England to Aden 4643 miles" and four small maps of Kuwait, Ceylon, Iraq, and India mounted on rear pastedown with hand-coloured borders in blue and orange. A previously unknown collection of unique photographs by an anonymous British serviceman, documenting an interwar deployment to Aden and featuring one of earliest known photographs of Sheikh Juma bin Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum (b. 1891) and Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum (1878-1958) of Dubai. Early photographs of Dubai or its rulers are quite uncommon, making this an exceptionally important piece. Here, the brothers are shown touring a British Royal Navy cruiser. Sheikh Juma (on the left) was the founder of the Al Maktoum branch of the Dubai royal family; his brother, Sheikh Saeed (on the right), was the longest-tenured ruler of Dubai, and presided over many of the huge economic changes of the first half of the 20th century. Both were deeply important to the formation of Dubai as it is today, but relics of their lives are extremely scarce. - Another rare photograph captures the Sultan of Oman Said bin Taimur (1910-72) as a young man touring a British light cruiser no more than a few months after the start of his reign in 1932. At only twenty-one, Said inherited both the sultanate and the difficulties faced by his predecessor. Though his reign was not easy, he was famously successful in uniting the warring factions within the sultanate. - The photographer behind this collection was likely a serviceman based on the H.M.S. Emerald, an Emerald-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy which would go on to provide support service during the D-Day landings at Gold Beach in WWII, but spent much of her career in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf. The serviceman has snapped a shot of a Fairey Flycatcher pontoon plane with the registration number N9670 - the Flycatcher known to have been assigned to the Emerald - photographed from the deck, and the Emerald appears repeatedly throughout the collection. Though the Emerald had a long tenure in the Gulf, photographs of the crash of the same ill-fated Fairey Flycatcher N9670 date the collection to circa December 1931, and the appearance of the young Sultan of Oman can only have been taken after the start of his reign on the 10th of February, 1932, covering a reasonable span of six months or more. Additionally, the Hawkins-class heavy cruiser H.M.S. Effingham appears in tow at the East Indies Station Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, which could only have occurred in early 1932, as later that same year she was sent back to Britain as part of the Reserve Fleet. - The photographs of ship life are full of action: men bathing over the side in the warm waters off Gibraltar, views of the Suez Canal, the use of a "smoke box" on the ship to generate a smokescreen, and torpedo drills, one capturing a launched torpedo in motion. However, no small part of the collection is dedicated to rare early views of Bahrein, Oman, and Iran. Bahrain is introduced by the Flycatcher plane crash; the British desired to impress their allies among the local dignitaries in Bahrain with a demonstration of military power, and sent Flight Lt. Peter Dabney Heinemann out in the Flycatcher to machine-gun targets which had been floated in the sea just off Bahrain. Heinemann reportedly lost control and spun out, and was killed when the plane crashed into the sea. Seven photographs show the British retrieving the wreckage, and the following photographs show a funeral procession in Manama, the bed of a military truck laid out in carpets acts as a hearse, and the burial in the Old Christian Cemetery. Two more photographs show a cityscape view of Manama and the clock tower of the Church of Christ in Bahrein. - Photographs of Old Muscat show the al-Jalali and al-Mirani forts, the former then still in use as a prison, and a view of the city "from hill top". Rounding out the tour of the Gulf, two photographs show the Abadan oil refinery in Iran. - The photographer spent some time in the Indian Ocean, and made port at Columbo, Trincomalee, Anuradhapura, Kandy, and Diyatalawa in Sri Lanka, as well as Karachi, Negapatam, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata (Calcutta), Sittwe (Akyab), and Port Blair. In Karachi, several photographs show the city's newly constructed airship mast and the cavernous airship shed, built as one of the main "terminals" of Britain's Imperial Airship Communications Scheme. The mast and shed were never used: a decade before the more famous Hindenburg disaster, the inaugural flight of the Scheme saw the R101 Airship leave London bound for Karachi, only to crash over France, killing all but six of the fifty-four crew and passengers and effectively ending the Scheme. Also of interest are several photographs of the large prison at Fort Blair, and include a photograph of an inmate strapped onto a "flogging board". - A touch of light wear; a few photographs are apparently missing as shown by their empty mounts; however, in excellent condition. Altogether a tour de force, featuring incredibly rare portraits of dignitaries and numerous photographs of cities of the Arabian Gulf.‎

‎[Falconry manuscript]. Khushal Khan Khatak.‎

‎Baz-nama [The Book of Falconry]. Central Asia / Afghanistan, [1689/90 CE =] 1101 H.‎

‎8vo (150 x 240 mm). Persian manuscript on paper. (4), 62 (misnumbered: 63, omitting fol. 19), 64 (misnumbered: 58, leaping back to 24 after 23 but lacking fols. 38-39) ff.; 64 (instead of 70) ff. (lacking fols. 25-30). 15 lines of black and occasional red ink script. Rebound in full red morocco using the original covers. A collective manuscript on falconry, including the famous "Baz-nama" of Khushal Khan, the Afghan national poet, copied in the area of Afghanistan within a year after the passing of the author. - This fine and early manuscript contains two separate treatises on falconry, the latter one being the "Book of Falconry" of Kushal Khan Katak, the father of Pashto literature, written in verse. The first English translation, prepared by Sami ur Rahman and dedicated to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, appeared in Islamabad as recently as 2014: "What makes Khushal's 'Baaz Nama' unique is its poetical form. Perhaps there is no other work in world literature that treats the subject matter in verse on the one hand and keeps its systematic exposition and professionalism intact on the other [...] Khushal's manual is pretty concise and cogent. There are no long-drawn and tedious accounts. The style and diction are extremely down-to-earth" (translator's note, p. xiv). - The present manuscript contains a colophon at the end stating that it was copied by Muhammad Khan in 1101 AH, within a year of the death of its author on 5 Jumada I, 1100 AH, and it may thus command a high degree of textual authority. A renowned Pakistani warrior, Khushal Khan Khatak (1613-89) long served the Mughal Empire, but when he was expelled from his tribal chiefdom, he turned against his Mughal lords, promoted Pashtun nationalism, and encouraged revolt against the Mughal Empire. His works, mostly written in Pashto, are considered the foundation of modern Afghan literature. - A few occasional stains and ink smudges; lacks six leaves according to foliation and catchword. The first treatise in this volume, by an unidentified author, is in two parts with an index after the first but apparently not complete, lacking the end of the second half, as well as two leaves. First leaf extensively remargined but without loss to text; a few old waqf stamps and occasional marginalia.‎

‎Galard Terraube, Elie de.‎

‎[French archive on the Arabian horses of Syria and the art of horse training]. Syria, Lebanon, and France, 1919-1936.‎

‎Largely loose or informally bound, 375 x 280 mm. Contents include 1 bound report with 22 silver gelatin print photographs, numerous typed letters and manuscripts prepared for publication, over 100 original drawings of horses or of military scenes, often with extensive notes. Contemporary ribbon-tied black cloth, sans spine, with handwritten label. Extensive archive spanning three decades of French horsemanship, from cavalry battalions in WWI to the development of the sport of dressage, and including unpublished typed and corrected manuscripts, military reports, photographs, original watercolour paintings, and numerous original drawings, at once technical and artistic, of horses in movement. The main individual behind this archive was Captain Elie de Galard Terraube of the French Armée du Levant, member of the prominent de Galard family and nephew of Marie-Henri de Mauléon, himself the author of "Méthod de Dressage", a 19th century manual on horse training. - Though most of the record is loose in folders, several pieces are informally bound. The most notable is "Rapport [...] sur les chevaux Arabes de Syrie, leur achat, leur transport en France" dated 1923 in Hama, Syria, and directed to the French Minister of War. At the time the Minister would have been André Maginot, most famous for his design of the Maginot Line. However, the report states its purpose as "Au sujet d'achat de chevaux des tribus Bédoines pour l'Agriculture" rather than for warfare. Stationed among the Bedouin tribes of Syria during the French Mandate period, de Galard Terraube provides 22 photographs of individual horses and horse dealers, notes on horse breeds and those who sell them, and a hand-inked map titled "Tribus Arabes de Syrie" illustrating the summer and winter residences of seven tribes, listed as: Rouallah [Ruwallah], Fedaan, Sbaa [likely Sba'a-'Abada], Maqualis, Haddidyne, Faquaras, and Beni Khaled [Bani Khalid]. - Another informally bound piece is an unpublished typescript on the work of de Galard Terraube's uncle, Mauléon, with a hand-drawn cover titling it "Méthod de Dressage du Mis. de Mauléon" and dated 1936; evidently, de Galard Terraube wished to have it published and used in French cavalry units, and much of the material relates to this endeavour. Additionally, there is a folder of hundreds of drawings, from polished watercolours to sketches, many labeled, most on the subject of horses: the use of the bit, the pose of the head and legs, etc. Several are on the subject of a soldiers' training instead, illustrating in watercolour how to stabilize a sniper rifle in various situations, often with the help of a second soldier. Numerous further typed pages and letters authored by de Galard Terraube on the subject of horse training. - The earliest of the material are four telegrams dating from 1919 and discussing ranks and responsibilities. Alongside these is an 870 x 370 mm original hand-drawn map titled "312e Brigade" and inked in black, red, and blue. The map shows a detailed series of fortifications presumably under the command of the 312th Brigade. Another informal map shows similar fortifications. - Altogether a thorough archive of French military, cavalry, and general equestrian history at an intersection with Syrian and Bedouin history and the history of the horse trade. Some wear from handling, in general quite good.‎

‎Girgis ibn 'Abdullah al-Dimashqi al-Bayruti al-Katuliki.‎

‎Kitab madkhal al-ahkaam fi al-khass wa al-amm [An Introduction to the General and Specific Principles (of Astronomy)]. Beirut, Lebanon, 1884.‎

‎4to (180 x 256 mm). Arabic manuscript on paper. Paginated 1-297 (but ff. 101-116 and 273-297 left blank). 21 lines of black riqa' within double pencil rules, illustrated throughout with numerous diagrams. Contemporary blindstamped black cloth. Finely handwritten Lebanese manual of astronomy, written in Arabic by a Catholic Christian mathematician of Syrian descent. In his preface, the author Girgis indicates that his work deals with the sciences of the stars and constellations, including phenomena such as eclipses. He therefore drew from "ancient manuscripts, some of them thousands of years old", and used the astronomical concordances "of the scholars of India, Persia, Greece and Egypt" to write his treatise, which boasts numerous meticulously executed diagrams and tables. Dated 8 Adar 1884 in the Jewish-Christian style. Apparently, this interesting manuscript was not completed by the scribe. - Binding rubbed and bumped, spine chipped and frayed. Paper evenly browned throughout.‎

‎[Ibn Kammuna, Jewish physician and philosopher (1215-1284)].‎

‎Sharh al-talwiyyât al-lawhiyya wa al-'ursîyya li-l-Suhrawardî [Explanations and Commentary on Sohrawardi's Allusions]. No place, [1316 CE =] 716 H.‎

‎4to (175 x 244 mm). Arabic manuscript on paper. 2 volumes. 117 pp. 68 pp. 27 lines to the page, written in dark brown ink on buff paper, catchwords in red, some diagrams, dated at the end of each book. Modern brown morocco bindings with fore-edge flap. Rare and early manuscript of Ibn Kammuna's principal work, this copy written less than fifty years after the commentary, which made its author famous, was completed in 1268. - Ibn Kammuna, who lived in Baghdad in the 13th century, is considered one of the most important Jewish philosophers after his Andalusian colleague Moses ibn Maimon (Maimonides, d. 1204) and is known to have corresponded with the illustrious polymath Nasir al-Din Tusi (d. 1274). Ibn Kammuna experienced the overthrow of Abbasid power by Mongol troops in 1258. Following this event, many faiths cohabited in Baghdad until the new power converted to Islam. It is at the heart of this multi-confessional society that Ibn Kammûna wrote most of his work. - The "Sharh al-Talwiyyat" constitutes one of the major contributions to the work of Sohrawardi (d. 1191), who had died in Aleppo less than eighty years before the commentary was written. Several texts suggest that Ibn Kammuna would have stayed in Aleppo, around 1250, to collect direct sources from Sohrawardi's students. Thus, Ibn Kammuna played a key role in the dissemination of the thought of Sohrawardi and the illuminative philosophy ("Ishrâq" in Arabic) that he initiated (cf. Henri Corbin, 1945). - Since Corbin's work, the "Sharh al-Talwiyyat" has been the subject of numerous studies seeking to establish a reference edition. Three relevant editions exist: those of S. Mûsawî (2003), H. Ziai and A. Alwishah (2002, dealing only with parts I and II), and of N. Habibi (2009). The three parts of this work are devoted respectively to logic, the natural sciences, and theology. According to the census established by John Lameer, there are only about fifty copies of "Sharh al-Talwihat" by Ibn Kammuna, taking into account the complete and incomplete copies. Our manuscript, dating from 716 H (1316 CE), is said to be the tenth oldest known copy of Ibn Kammuna's Commentary on the work of Suhrawardi. This set of two volumes comprises parts 2 and 3, while the volume on logic is not present. - Ibn Kammuna wrote extensively on theology, philosophy and psychology. His work is based on the knowledge of ancient Greek philosophers, on the study of the writings of Avicenna and Sohrawardi, as well as on the works of Judah Halevi and Maimonides. He is notably the author of "Tanqih al-abhath lil-milal al-thalath" (Critical Study on the Three Monotheistic Religions), and of "al-Jadid fi'l-hikma" (The New Wisdom), a discussion of the philosophy and science of the 13th century. His most significant contribution to the history of philosophy remains his present detailed commentary on Sohrawardi's "Al-Talwihat". Reza Pourjavadi & Sabine Schmidtke, A Jewish Philosopher of Baghdad. 'Izz al-Dawla Ibn Kammuna (d. 683/1284) and His Writings. Leiden and Boston, 2006 (= Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Science. Texts and Studies, vol. 65). Joep Lameer, "Ibn Kammuna's Commentary on Suhrawardi's Talwihat. Three Editions", Journal of Islamic Manuscripts 3 (2012), pp. 154-184.‎

‎[Iraq - photo album].‎

‎[Photograph album of a British serviceman in Iraq]. [Iraq, 1930s].‎

‎Small oblong folio (260 x 180 mm). 103 silver gelatin photographs mounted in photo corners or laid down. Contemporary black leather, blindstamped with imitations of Egyptian hieroglyphs. An interesting album of snapshots taken in Sudan and Iraq in the 1930s. Although the photographer's name is not present, he was probably an RAF serviceman stationed in North Africa and the Middle East, as there are several images of billets and two official R.A.F. aerial photographs at the rear of the album. - The images of Iraq, including Khartoum, Baghdad and Samarra, are in the majority, and largely focus on leisure activities such as horse racing in the desert and trips to important archaeological sites. One attractive series documents an excursion to the ruins of Babylon with the Lion of Babylon and the Ctesiphon Arch. Among the images of Babylon are two brick reliefs from the Ishtar Gate (constructed ca. 575 CE), a muscular aurochs, and the mythic mushussu dragon. - Light fading, otherwise well preserved.‎

‎[Kuwait - photo album].‎

‎[Photograph album of the Kuwait oil industry]. [Kuwait, 1950s-1970s].‎

‎180 x 305 mm. 48 chromogenic and 49 silver gelatin photographs, ranging from 80 x 80 mm to 19 x 126 mm, and housed in photo sleeves. Contemporary spiral-bound illustrated boards. An album of 97 vintage photographs and photographic postcards showing the construction works for the Kuwait oil industry, likely at the famous Burgan and Al Bahrah oil fields and refineries. During the early decades of oil production, the Kuwait Oil Company worked to develop the flowering industry, sometimes partnered with British oil company BP. Several photographs were likely taken by European engineers who moved to Kuwait to work in the oil industry; some of the early silver gelatin photographs were printed in Germany, while several other silver gelatin prints have the stamp of the Armenian-Syrian photographer Vartan Derounian (1888-1954) and/or the stamp K.E.W., that is of the Kuwait Engineering Works Ltd. Since oil was discovered in Kuwait at Burgan oil field in 1938, the petroleum industry has become the largest in the country, responsible for roughly half of Kuwait's GDP. This series of photographs, beginning in roughly the 1950s and with the latest photograph dated 1978, illustrates three decades of infrastructure development and expansion in the industry, including numerous detailed scenes of tanks, wells, and pipelines. - A few light signs of wear, altogether very well preserved.‎

‎[Mosques]. Bonfils, Félix.‎

‎[Large photographs of mosques in Palestine, Istanbul, and Egypt]. [Egypt, Palestine, Turkey and Greece, ca. 1870s].‎

‎Large folio (620 x 508 mm). A total of 31 albumen prints (of an average size of 390 x 280 mm), individually mounted on card. Contemporary red half morocco and pebbled red cloth, titled in gilt on spine. A fine album of large-format photographs mainly of Egypt and Palestine, including numerous fine and early views of mosques, all by the most famous 19th century photographer of the Arab world, Félix Bonfils (1831-85). Among the famous locations captured in his high-quality albumen prints are the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, the newly-built Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali (one image showing the fountain of ablution), the Sultan Qaytbay Mosque and funerary complex, as well as the Tombs of the Caliphs, the Fountain of the Valide Sultan, and the so-called Chair of Omar (Membar) in the Temple Square. Ancient Egypt is well represented, as well. In Jerusalem, the collection includes views of the Mosque of Omar (that is the Dome of the Rock, or Qubbat al-Sakhrah), the Church of Saint Anne with the Dome of the Rock, as well as Zion Gate and several street scenes in the older districts of the city, but also the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Kanisatu al-Qiyamah), with Christian priests posing on a balcony, some standing on a ladder which is famously permanent - by rumour due to the Status Quo agreement between the numerous Christian sects which use the church. In Istanbul (Constantinople), the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque is pictured. A few additional images show the tidewater at Jaffa and two sites in Athens. All photographs are signed and titled in plate by Bonfils. - Some exterior wear; the large-sized photographs are well preserved.‎

‎[Palestine].‎

‎Eretz Israel. Map of Jewish Settlements. Keren Hayesod Agricultural Work 1921-1946. Palestine, Jewish Agency for Palestine Agricultural Colonisation Department, Irrigation Office, 1946.‎

‎Chromolithograph map, 852 x 520 mm. Scale 1:500,000. A map depicting the Jewish settlements related to Keren Hayesod agricultural work from 1921-1946. Keren Hayesod was, during the pre-state period, a single-issue Zionist funding body and played a large role in the settlement of Palestine by Jewish colonists prior to 1948; many of these settlements were agricultural in nature. The map lists over one hundred settlements and distinguishes those established by from those aided by Keren Hayesod. Also identified are settlement types: communal, smallholders, village, urban, town, training farms, and ex-servicemen villages. A colourful and thorough overview of Keren Hayesod's work in the region. - A hint of wear along creases, otherwise well preserved. OCLC 827860593.‎

‎[Palestine].‎

‎[Photograph album]. [Palestine, ca. 1890s].‎

‎Large 4to (240 x 273 mm). 48 albumen photographs (ca. 240 x 180 mm) mounted on card recto and verso. Bound in contemporary black half calf and cloth, ruled in gilt. An elegant example of the early photography souvenirs which were becoming increasingly popular in the 1890s, especially in tourism of the Holy Land. Many of the photographs are by the studio of Félix Bonfils (1831-85), a French-born photographer who came to the Levant with General d'Hautpoul in 1860 and remained to begin a prolific photography career. Based in Beirut, Bonfils produced thousands of photographs depicting Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Greece and other parts of the Ottoman Empire. In the early days of Western tourism to the Middle East, his works soon became popular as souvenirs, and other photographers soon followed. Other examples are by Francis Frith or unsigned. They show memorable scenes of Jerusalem and surroundings, especially tombs, monuments, churches, mosques, landscapes, and cityscapes. - Gentle wear and fading, some foxing to cards, but generally appealing and well preserved.‎

‎[Qur'an Juz'].‎

‎An illuminated Qur'an, Juz' XII. China, ca. 1800 CE.‎

‎Small folio (230 x 295 mm). Arabic manuscript on cream-coloured paper. 58 ff. (plus 2 flyleaves), 5 lines per extensum, written in crisp Sini script in black ink. Text within red double rules, verses separated by gilt roundels, surah heading in gold outlined in red. Opening bifolio with brightly coloured and gilt quasi-geometric illumination, final bifolio with gold and polychrome Central Asian floral and tendril motifs in the borders. Contemporary blind-tooled brown leather binding with fore-edge flap. Indigo blue cotton endpapers. Prettily illuminated Qur'an Juz' (one of thirty parts of varying lengths into which the Qur'an is divided) written in late 18th or early 19th century China. Arab presence in China dates back as far as the first Caliphate: the Prophet's companion Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas is traditionally credited with introducing Islam to China as ambassador in 650. Indeed, many major cities in China, such as Xi'an (or Chang'an, as it was known during the height of the Silk Road) and Beijing boast a long and rich Muslim history. Qur'an sections written by Chinese Muslims show Chinese influence clearly in both the decoration and the script, which is derived from naskh. The section of the Qu'ran copied here is the twelfth Juz', which comprises surah 11 (Hud), aya 6, to surah 12 (Yusuf), aya 52, named after the prophets Hud and Joseph. - Fingerstaining to lower corner and margin; a few leaves loose. An attractively illuminated example of the Chinese Muslim manuscript tradition.‎

‎Sultan 'Ali Khorasani.‎

‎Dastur al-'ilaj [The Rule Book for Therapy]. Central Asia, [26 Jan. 1803 CE =] 2 Shawwal 1217 H.‎

‎4to (185 x 262 mm). Persian manuscript on polished, unsophisticated wove paper. (12), 282, (6) leaves. 18 lines of black and occasional red Nast'aliq within double red rules. Numerous marginal glosses in black ink. Contemporary full leather binding with blind-stamped oriental decorations to both covers. A comprehensive Persian-language manual of therapeutics, discussing the diseases of the various organs. The physician Sultan Ali practiced medicine for 40 years in his native Khorasan as well as in Transoxiana (Central Asia). He began writing his medical treatise "Dastur al-‘ilaj" in the year 933 AH (1526 CE) at the request of Abu al-Muzaffar Mahmud-Shah Sultan, whom he had successfully treated in Samarqand. - "The treatise consists of two sections (maqalahs), the first divided into 25 chapters (babs) concerning diseases specific to particular parts of the body. The second section, in 8 babs, is on diseases affecting the entire body and not specific to a particular part. After completing the treatise, Khurasani subsequently added an introductory essay (muqaddimah) composed of 16 chapters (babs) concerned with the preservation of health and hygiene. The introductory essay has a dedication to Abu al-Ghazi Sultan Abu Sa'id Bahadur Khan who ruled Samarqand from 1530 to 1533" (National Library of Medicine, online). - Leaves 253-254 bound in reverse order and upside-down after fol. 247; fol. 248 bound upside down after fol. 252, but complete. Some waterstaining to lower corner, entirely confined to margins. A few old stamps, some obliterated with correction fluid or felt-tip pen. The colophon is dated the 2nd of Shawwal 1217 AH, stating the copyist as Mirza Abdullah Tablah (reading of the last name uncertain).‎

‎[Thompson, Alfred Tulloch].‎

‎[Photograph album of the Mesopotamian Campaign 1914-1918]. [Iraq, ca. 1918].‎

‎Oblong 8vo (200 x 160 mm). With 96 silver gelatin photographs mounted in album frames under canvas-covered boards, captioned in ink; later paper label on front pastedown identifying the owner and/or photographer of the album. Contemporary blue cloth with gilt decoration on upper cover. Compiled by the British army surgeon Alfred Tulloch Thompson of Darlington, County Durham, during the Mesopotamian campaign of 1914-18, this prettily presented collection of snapshots of towns such as Basra and Amara reveals the integration of British troops and military life into the local landscapes. Alongside native villages, women fetching water, mosques, and street scenes are subtle signs of the war. One snapshot shows a "sunken Turkish gunboat", likely sunk deliberately by Ottoman forces to block the Shatt-al-Arab channel. Another two are labelled as the 3rd and 32nd British General Hospitals - important to a surgeon - while another shows a hospital boat. Many scenes show the Tigris and local boats (including a dhow plying the "Persian Gulf"), though one additionally shows a "P Boat," a British river steamer. Other images show locals going about daily life in wartime, as well as portraits of British soldiers - likely fellow members of the RAMC, including several of Thompson himself (one showing him in traditional Arab costume). - Light wear and occasional light fading, but altogether very well preserved.‎

‎Vilnay, Zev.‎

‎Ha-Ma'arakhah le-shihrur Yisra'el. Jerusalem, Ha-Lishkah ha-rashit shel ha-Keren ha-kayemet le-Yisra'el, [1949].‎

‎8vo. 160 pp. Illustrated. Original pale blue wrappers titled in navy. First edition of "The Campaign for the Liberation of Israel": a rare publication on the First Arab-Israeli war by Israeli geographer Zev Vilnay (1900-88). Better known for his lectures on outdoor hiking and touring in Israel, Vilnay also served as a military topographer in Haganah and later the Israel Defense forces. His work, written in Hebrew, is profusely illustrated with maps showing transportation corridors, troop movements, and military and civilian installations. Vilnay's maps depict battles in and around Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv, the Upper and Eastern Galilee, and many more, discussing strategy and the use of infrastructure and landscape in waging war. An interesting geographer's view of Israeli military action during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. - Light wear to spine. OCLC 19195703.‎

‎ALESSANDRO BONGIOANNI‎

‎LUXOR E LA VALLE DEI RE‎

‎COME NUOVO‎

‎Oz, Amos‎

‎Contro il fanatismo‎

‎Il difficile rapporto tra israeliani e palestinesi.‎

‎Sasson, Jean P.‎

‎Tradita.‎

‎La testimonianza sconvolgente e terribile di una donna irachena che è stata torturata nelle prigioni di Saddam Hussein.‎

‎Giovanni Battista Brocchi‎

‎Viaggi di G.B. Brocchi in Egitto, nella Siria e nella Nubia‎

‎Cinque tomi che raccontano i viaggi di Giovanni Battista Brocchi in in Africa e Medio Oriente. La brossura del primo libro è stata conservata con dello scotch. In generale i volumi sono discretamente mantenuti, con qualche inevitabile segno del tempo. L'opera è composta da cinque volumi, suddivisi in 59 fascicoli; ogni fascicolo è composto a sua volta da 64 pagine. Questa è una delle prime 400 stampe dell'opera e contiene, di conseguenza, il ritratto dell'autore nelle prime pagine. In aggiunta Atlante del giornale dei viaggi con numerose tavole di rara bellezza.."così il leggitore dell'Opera viene rimandato all'Atlante per una più ampia spiegazione delle figure stesse" come recita l'introduzione‎

‎Henry, Marguerite‎

‎Il re del vento‎

‎Un classico della letteratura per ragazzi.‎

‎EMMANUEL ANATI‎

‎L'ARTE RUPESTRE DEL NEGEV E DEL SINAI‎

‎DISPONIBILITÀ GARANTITA AL 99%; SPEDIZIONE ENTRO 12 ORE DALL'ORDINE. FONDO DI MAGAZZINO PARI AL NUOVO. LIEVISSIMI SEGNI DEL TEMPO. L'arte parietale paleolitica. Accuratissimo ed autorevole saggio corredato da molti disegni esplicativi nel testo e da una sezione fotografica con oltre cento immagini a colori da pitture rupestri e particolari dettagliati delle stesse. Descrizione bibliografica Titolo: L'arte rupestre del Negev e del Sinai Autore: Emmanuel Anati Editore: Milano: Jaca Book, Dicembre 1979 Lunghezza: 144 pagine; 25 cm; illustrato ([32] c. di tav.: ill., c. geogr.) ISBN: 8816630019, 9788816630017 Collana: Le orme dell'uomo Soggetti: Storia dell'arte, Arte preistorica, Preistoria, Arte rupestre, Monte Sinai, Pitture rupestri, Pittura, Negev, Medio Oriente, Scrittura, Cultura tribale, Studi culturali, Bibbia, Israele, Palestina, Deserto, Israeliti, Jabal Ideid, Petra, Paleontologia, Archeologia, Reperti archeologici, Scoperte, Segni, Antiche civiltà, Iconografia, Studi camuni, Libri illustrati, Libri Vintage Fuori catalogo, Saggi, Valcamonica, Homo Sapiens, The Riddle of Mount Sinai, Archaeological Discoveries at Har Karkom, Deuteronomio, Scavi archeologici, Gebel Musa, Paleolitico, Antiche Scritture, Esodo, Vecchio Testamento, Horev, Recherches Préhistoriques, Incisioni, Cronologia, Stile, Luoghi, Bibliografia, Riferimento, Popoli antichi, Cacciatori, Addomesticamento, Animali, Domesticazione, Utensili, Pastoralismo, Nomadismo, Pastori, Eilat, Ebrei, Beduini, Spedizioni, Mar Morto, Sepoltura, Culto, Riti, Rituali arcaici, Scene, Estrazione del sangue, Pietre, Rocce, Recinti, Umm Hajhaj, Har Oded, Frecce, Corna, Bestiame, Caccia, Buoi, Stambecchi, Capre, Aravà, Felini, Sciacalli, Volpi, Mesopotamia, Nilo, Cerimonie religiose, Pastorizia, Danza, Pugnali, Lance, Commercio, Evoluzione, Progresso, Arco, Bastoni, Strumenti musicali, Scudo, Cane, Bue, Cavallo, Cammello, Armi, Egitto, Ein Hudra, Wadi Tuweibe, Bir Suweir, Timna, Ceramiche, Har Karkom, Religioni, Mosè, Monastero di Santa Caterina, Terra Santa, Art history, Prehistoric art, Prehistory, Rock art, Rock paintings, Painting, Middle East, Writing, Tribal culture, Cultural studies, Bible, Israel, Palestine, Desert, Israelites, Paleontology, Archeology, Archaeological finds, Discoveries, Signs, Ancient civilizations, Iconography, Illustrated books, Out of print books, Essays, Archaeological excavations, Paleolithic, Ancient Scriptures, Exodus, Old Testament, Recherches Préhistoriques, Engravings, Chronology, Style, Places, Bibliography, Reference, Ancient peoples, Hunters, Domestication, Animals, Domestic, Utensils, Pastoralism, Nomadism, Shepherds, Jews, Bedouins, Expeditions, Dead Sea, Burial, Worship, Rites, Archaic rituals, Scenes, Blood extraction, Stones, Rocks, Fences, Arrows, Horns, Cattle, Hunting, Oxen, Ibex, Goats, Felines, Jackals, Foxes, Nile, Religious ceremonies, Pastoralism, Dance, Daggers, Spears, Commerce, Evolution, Progress, Bow, Sticks, Musical instruments, Shield, Dog, Ox, Horse, Camel, Weapons, Egypt, Ceramics, Religions, Moses, Monastery of Saint Catherine, Holy land Parole e frasi comuni abitate accampamento acqua Amalek archeologici Arte rupestre Beer Bibbia biblica cammello caso Centrale cima città Coord creta acqua esodo descrizione deserto deserto Paran ebrei età del Bronzo Exodus figli Israele figure fondi capanna forma geografica Giosuè grande gruppo Horev incisioni ipotesi IV/A Jetro Kadesh Barnea Karkom lavorate libro lungo luogo Medio Midian millennio montagna Monte Monte Sinai Mosè narrazione Negev nome nord Numeri Paleolitico Medio passaggio penisola Periodi piccoli piedi pietra pista popolo pozzi racconti Refidim Reperti resti riferimento ritrovamenti rocce istoriate secolo selce Signore Sinai sito stazioni Strutture tavole termine terra territorio testi tradizione tratta tribù tumuli ubicarsi valle wadi XXXIII zona‎

‎ROULEAU - HELD - LACOUTURE - VALABREGA.‎

‎Israele e gli arabi. Il terzo scontro.‎

‎In 8°, br. edit. (con lievi segni d'uso), pp. 263,(1); prima ed., brunito il bordo delle pp. ma nel complesso copia molto buona. (L006) (spedizione standard SEMPRE tracciata con raccomandata-piego di libri, eventuale FATTURA da richiedere all'ordine)‎

‎ARBORIO MELLA FEDERICO A..‎

‎Gli Arabi e l'Islam. Storia, civiltà, cultura.‎

‎In 8°, t.t. edit. con sovrac. ill., pp. 303,(1), con 38 dis. e cartine n.t. e 48 fot. b.n. e col. in tavv. f.t.; coll. "Storia e documenti. 40"; prima ed., copia molto buona. (x057)‎