‎Golf‎

‎Egypt.‎

‎Asyut. GSGS 4084. Sheet 5. Washington, D.C., Army Map Service, 1943.‎

‎1020 x 710 mm. Scale 1:500,000. In good condition.‎

‎Egypt.‎

‎North Sinai. GSGS 4084. Sheet 3. Washington, D.C., Army Map Service, 1943.‎

‎965 x 710 mm. Scale 1:500,000. In excellent condition.‎

‎Egypt.‎

‎Uwainat. GSGS 4084. Sheet 10. Washington, D.C., Army Map Service, 1943.‎

‎1020:710 mm. Scale 1:500,000. "For use by War and Navy Department Agencies only. Not for Sale or distribution". - In good condition.‎

‎Esso Standard Libya Inc. / Thomas, A. D.‎

‎The Hateiba Story. [Libya], Exxon Production Research Co., 1978.‎

‎4to. (12) ff. With 21 original colour photographs (230 x 200 mm) inserted into protective sleeves. In a black full cloth binder with giltstamped title to cover and spine. Scarce records on the Hateiba gas field development project of Esso Standard Libya. The archive includes several schemes and diagrams as well as a brief description of the production facilities, an organization chart, and a capital cost summary - the total cost of the project amounting to $46,470. Of particular interest are the photographs of the low temperature separation gas plant installed at Hateiba, depicting l.t.s. units and air fin coolers, water tanks, the safety shutdown station and the knock-out drum, as well as the maintenance building and the central control panel operated by two employees. - In excellent condition. Interesting material on an otherwise little documented project in the desert of Eastern Libya.‎

‎[Hejaz Railway].‎

‎Collection of Hejaz Railway revenue stamps, donation receipts and other related ephemera. Mostly Constantinople (Istanbul), mostly 1903-1910 CE.‎

‎8vo, 4to and folio. 21 items, comprising a total of 33 printed or written pages. With 33 revenue stamps altogether (not all issued on behalf of the Hejaz Railway). Includes one original envelope. Comprises a range of official documents on Hejaz Railway revenue forms or validated with Hejaz Railway revenue stamps, including a form for the collection of Ashar tithes (1904/1905); a civil service school graduation certificate for Abdülkadir Efendi (1905); a property evaluation document (1906); a medical report (1910); and a power of attorney (1919). Further comprises: 7 Hejaz Railway donation receipts (5 dated 1902-1911, one illegible, one blank); 4 salary receipts on Hejaz Railway revenue forms (1906-1907); 2 promissory notes for payment on Hejaz Railway revenue forms (1910-1913); and 3 lease contract forms (1907-1909). Revenue values range from 40 Para to 10 Kurush, with one receipt in the value of a silver Medjidie. - The Hejaz Railway was not only a monumental feat of engineering, made possible by the collaboration of Turkish, German, Italian, French, Austrian, Belgian and Greek manpower and technical ingenuity, but also an immensely costly project that severely taxed the resources of the late Ottoman Empire. To collect the funds necessary for the realisation of the railway line that was to connect Damascus (and thus Constantinople and, by extension, the rest of Europe) with the Hejaz and the Holy Cities, the state's financial administration was almost entirely put into the service of the Railway's construction. The massive funding campaign not only called for contributions by the faithful, for which they were rewarded with donation receipts such as those at hand, but the treasury also levied special fees in the form of revenue stamps (some bearing miniature illustrations of the train) or official forms to be used for purposes so diverse as the collection of peasant tithes and the issuance of school graduation certificates. A few late examples in this collection give evidence that these forms continued to be used after the completion of the line in 1910 and, indeed, until the end of the Ottoman Empire. - Occasional edge flaws and small tears, but well preserved on the whole. A fine collection of these much sought-after ephemera.‎

‎[Hejaz Railway - Sirat-i müstakim].‎

‎Sirat-i müstakim. Vol. 5, No. 111. Constantinople (Istanbul), Matbaa-y-i Amire, [21 Oct. 1910 CE =] 8 Oct. 1326 Rumi.‎

‎Folio (250 x 350 mm). 16 pp. Original printed blue wrappers (edge brittle; broken at spine). Rare issue of this Ottoman journal devoted to the discussion of matters theological ("Religion and Knowledge") and political ("The Islamic World"). This issue, published just after the completion of the famous Hejaz Railway from Damascus to the Holy City of Medina, contains an article entitled "Open Letter to the Governor of Hejaz" ("Hicaz Vali Vekili'ne Acik Mektub / Hicaz Valisi Beyefendi'ye Acik Mektub", pp. 122f.) by Hüseyin Vassaf. In this article, the author makes bold suggestions to the Government of Hejaz for the administration of the next Hajj and recommends that the railway be maintained with care for the comfort of the prilgrims' travel: "We expect much from you. Avoid persecuting the people, as did some of your predecessors. Treat the pilgrims well and spare them the difficulties they are subjected to every year. Protect them from the bandits. Improve accommodation and transportation. Prepare waterways for pilgrims and build sufficent toilets. Even if they are poor, take good care of them. Instil in them a love for our state. Start preparing for this year's Hajj directly. Improve the living conditions of the people in the region. Reform the madrasas and schools. Fulfill all the requirements of the railways [...]". - A rare survival. OCLC 6333040.‎

‎[Indo-Persian Drawing - Falcon. Jahangir Yahya?].‎

‎[Indo-Persian inscribed drawing of a falcon]. [Pakistan?], drawing signed [1883 CE =] 1301 H, poetry signed [1932 CE =] 1351 H.‎

‎Drawing in ink and grayish watercolour (ca. 445 x 370 mm) of a Saker or Barbary falcon on paper. With some (later) added verses in Persian and Urdu, written in black ink. In a modern golden frame (ca. 565 x 480 mm). A fine, large Indo-Persian inscribed drawing of a falcon, very likely a Saker falcon or a Barbary falcon, both occurring in the Arabian Peninsula and throughout the Middle East and Pakistan. In the lower right corner, this drawing is signed "Jahangir Yahya" and dated 1301 H (1883 CE). Nothing is known about this (likely Pakistani) artist. The drawing was later juxtaposed with poetry, a practice not uncommon in the Persian and Islamic world. Sometimes there is a relationship between the text and the painting or drawing, sometimes not. For the poem at the right upper corner, the relationship between the drawing and the poem is evident. This verse is signed, reading the name of the poet Allama Iqbal and the date 1351 H (1932 CE), suggesting these verses were written a few years later than the drawing of the falcon. Allama Iqbal refers to the renowned Pakistani poet Sir Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938), who wrote in both Urdu and Persian and whose Urdu poetry is considered among the greatest of the 20th century. The verses written on the drawing here compare the beloved to a falcon. - The other three verses in the upper left corner and to the left and right side of the falcon are Persian verses by Hafiz (1315-90), one of the most highly regarded classical Persian poets who is best known for his collection of over 400 ghazals. Very likely the ghazals of Hafiz, here added to the drawing, bore a metaphorical meaning relating to the illustration. Although the consistency of the hand suggests the lines were written by the same calligrapher some fifty years after the drawings was made, there is no evidence to suggest whether it was Iqbal himself who signed his name to the verse in the upper right corner or whether it was someone else who added the name of the poet. - Altogether a beautiful drawing of a falcon, beautifully reflecting the Indo-Persian tradition of juxtaposing visual and textual art, here offering verses of some of the greatest Urdu and Persian poets. A few creases and some very minor holes, but overall in good condition.‎

‎Iraq.‎

‎Kirkuk. World 1404. 427B. 3-GSGS. [London], War Office, 1962.‎

‎760 x 625 mm. Scale 1:500,000. With some notes in pencil. In excellent condition.‎

‎[Mecca].‎

‎Mecca. Asia North F-37. [London], War Office, 1941.‎

‎808:640 mm. Scale: 1:1,000,000. First edition. Map of the western coast of Saudi Arabia from Abu Shaibana in the north to Rakah in the south, and from Rabigh and Jeddah in the west to Turbah in the interior. Including parts of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and Egypt. Compiled by W.O. 1939, drawn and heliographed by O.S. 1940. With 2 printed straight lines giving degrees of longitude dated December 1943. - In excellent condition.‎

‎Oman.‎

‎Salala. GSGS 2555. Asia. North E-40. [London], War Office, 1950.‎

‎915:625 mm. Scale: 1:1,000,000. Second edition. Map of the coast of Oman from Salala in the West to Duqm in the North. - In excellent condition.‎

‎[Petroleum Press Bureau].‎

‎Petroleum Press Service. London, [Petroleum Press Bureau], March 1965.‎

‎4to. 40 pp. Original printed wrappers. Stapled. Arabic edition of the leading English newspaper on oil matters. Founded in 1934, the Petroleum Press Service was one of the first reliable sources of information on all aspects of the petroleum industry and trade. The Arabic version, first issued in 1953, was published up to the 1970s. - Front cover slightly dampstained.‎

‎[Ras Tanura - Thomas, Velma].‎

‎5 membership cards for country clubs and women's groups, one golf score card, and a programme of the Aramco Golf Banquet. Ras Tanura and Abqaiq, 1949-1962.‎

‎(Oblong) 12mo to small 4to. Together 14 pp. on 6 bifolia and 2 single sheets. The programme of the golf banquet stapled. Small archive of Velma Thomas, a golf enthusiast and wife of the Aramco engineer Orlin Orace Thomas, based at Ras Tanura. The programme of the 1953 golf banquet lists the members of the Aramco golf team of Ras Tanura, including team captain and Aramco administrator Karl Deloian. The other items document Velma Thomas's membership in the Rahimah Hollow Country Club of the Ras Tanura Golf Association, the Ras Tanura Women's Group of the Federation of American Women's Clubs overseas, and the Ain Nakhl country club in Abqaiq. - Small marginal flaws; occasional light brownstaining. Interesting collection documenting the thriving expat golf scene of Saudi Arabia.‎

‎Saudi Arabia.‎

‎Jabrin. GSGS 2555. Asia. North F-39. [London], War Office, 1950.‎

‎865 x 635 mm. Scale: 1:1,000,000. First edition, sales copy.‎

‎[Saudi Arabia - Freemasonry].‎

‎Arabian Shrine Club. [Saudi Arabia, 1960s/1970s].‎

‎13 original colour photographs (87 x 109 mm) and 6 original black-and-white photographs (75 x 104 mm), the latter captioned in English on verso. The bulk mounted on cardboard carriers. Inserted in protective sleeves in a green synthetic folder. Rare images of a Masonic society: private collection of photographs from a meeting of the Arabian Shriners in Saudi Arabia. The Shriners are seen in group pictures, alone or alongside their wives. Other pictures show the premises of the venue as well as the celebratory banquet. - In addition, the set comprises 6 black-and-white photographs, including group pictures of Westerners wearing Arabian attire, an image of the walls of the royal palace in Riyadh, a picture of the outskirts of Jeddah, and a view of the desert. - A unique survival.‎

‎[Soviet General Staff Maps] - Al-`Ula.‎

‎General'nyí shtab. Medina. G-37. (And:) Al-Wajh. G-37-A. (And:) Madain-Salih. G-37-VIII. Al-Ula. G-37-XIV. [Moscow, General Staff], 1982, 1972, 1978-1979.‎

‎4 topographic maps, colour-printed. 70 x 58 cm (1:1,000,000), 66 x 55.5 cm (1:500,000), ca. 54 x 45 cm (1:200,000). Constant ratio linear horizontal scale. In Russian (Cyrillic). The Soviet Union's 1:1,000,000, 1:500,000, and 1:200,000 General Staff map quadrangles showing Al-`Ula: from the Russian series of military maps produced during the Cold War, based on high-quality satellite imagery, but usually also ground reconnaissance. The information was compiled during the years 1982, 1967-70, and 1972-75; the editors were V. R. Iost, Ju. V. Chekusov, and N. D. Yarema, respectively. The smaller-scale maps cover the northwestern coastal portion of the Arabian Peninsula, the large-scale maps provides an astonishing degree of detail. The oasis town Al-`Ula, on the historical Incense Road, is depicted in the Wadi Al-'Ula; nearby landmarks include the Jabal al Mijdar, Khuraybah, and Bi'r 'Udhayb. - Products of a massive, clandestine cartographic project begun under Stalin and ultimately encompassing the entire globe, the Soviet General Staff maps are today noted for their extreme precision. Indeed, even in post-Soviet times they provide the most reliable mapping for many remoter parts of the world: "Soviet-era military maps were so good that when the United States first invaded Afghanistan in late 2001, American pilots relied on old Russian maps of Afghanistan. For almost a month after the United States began a bombing campaign to help oust the Taliban government, American pilots were guided by Russian maps dating back to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s" (Davies/Kent, p. xi). - Although the details of the cartographic programme evolved over the decades, its overall system and plan remained remarkably constant. "The basic quadrangle is the 1:1,000,000 sheet spanning 4° latitude by 6° longitude. The quadrangles are identified by lettered bands north from the equator and by numbered zones east from longitude 180° [...] Each 1:1,000,000 sheet is subdivided into four 1:500,000 sheets (from northwest to southeast), labeled [by] the first four letters of the Russian alphabet [...] Each 1:1,000,000 sheet is [also] subdivided into 36 1:200,000 sheets in a six-by-six grid [... They] normally contain on the reverse side a detailed written description of the districts (towns, communications, topography, geology, hydrology, vegetation, and climate) together with a geological sketch map" (ibid., p. 19-21). "Printing such large-format plans in so many colors with near-perfect print registration itself testifies to the skill of the printers in the military map printing factories across the former Soviet Union. The quality of printing reflects the level of training and the reliability of humidity-control equipment and the electricity supply at the time" (ibid., p. 6f.). The 1:200,000-scale maps are specifically labelled "For Offical Use". Although the general terrain evaluation maps and operational maps produced at the smaller scales of 1:1,000,000 and 1:500,000 were not separately marked as classified, all General Staff maps de facto constituted closely guarded military material, none of which became available in the West before the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s. - Light traces of folds; some very insignificant wrinkling in places, but altogether in excellent condition. Cf. J. Davies / A. J. Kent, The Red Atlas (Chicago/London, 2017).‎

‎Standard Oil Company.‎

‎The Lamp. Vol. 35, No. 4. New York, Standard Oil Company, 1953.‎

‎Folio (231 x 308 mm). 24 pp. With numerous illustrations in colour and black-and-white. Original printed wrappers. Stapled. Illustrated corporate magazine of Standard Oil, celebrating the company's international activities. It includes reports on trade with European countries, the recently established Antwerp refinery, the kerosene-powered Seguin lighthouse in Maine, advancing infrastructure in North Africa, and the recycling of oil barrels as musical instruments in the Caribbean. The final three pages display sketched impressions of the Jersey Standard headquarters in New York by the artist Bettina Steinke. OCLC 1755500.‎

‎The American Magazine / Gaskill, Gordon.‎

‎Our Partner in Oil. [New York], October 1947.‎

‎4to. 4 pp. on bifolium. With 3 black-and-white photographic illustrations, including a portrait of King Ibn Saud. Interesting account of the close Saudi-American ties forged after the 1933 Concession Agreement. It describes the friendly relationship between King 'Abd al-'Aziz and Aramco, which involved the frequent exchange of valuable gifts. The King presented "his Aramco friends [with] noble Arabian horses, gold-mounted swords, daggers, watches, and Oriental rugs", a courtesy that the Americans recipocrated with exquisite boxes of gold and a golden coffee service, as well as "a complete American cowboy's outfit, with chaps, sombrero, and a gorgeous saddle mounted in gold and silver" - the latter perhaps constituting one of the more peculiar presents. - Further, the article describes friendly interactions between Arabs and Americans and discusses the company's plans to advance Arabian infrastructure and to foster education and housing. - Small marginal flaws. Somewhat toned.‎

‎Trans-Arabian Oil Pipe Line Company.‎

‎Tapline... The Story of the World's Biggest Oil Pipe Line. New York, January 1951.‎

‎4to. (6), 40 pp., final blank leaf. With numerous black-and-white photographic illustrations and a map of the Tapline. Original printed wrappers. Stapled. Illustrated history of the Trans-Arabian Pipeline - the "greatest of all long range engineering projects". The account celebrates the Tapline's completion in 1950, describing the arduous construction, with rare photographs of the work involved, including pictures of the Sidon terminal and the Badanah pump station as well as portraits of the executive management personnel of the Tapline company. - Wrappers slightly creased; margins a little rubbed. OCLC 6162918.‎

‎[Ahmad ibn al-Husayn ibn al Ahnaf].‎

‎[Kitab fi al-'inayah bi-al-khayl wa-sa'ir dawab al-rukub]. Kitab al-Furusiyah [The Book of Equestrianism]. [Morocco, December 1714 CE = early Dhu'l-Hijja 1126 H].‎

‎4to (165 x 227 mm). Arabic manuscript on paper. 44 pp. (22 ff.) with 5 full-page colour illustrations (one double-page-sized), all illustrated leaves consisting of two folios pasted together for reinforcement. 17 lines of text, per extensum, within green and double red rules, written in Maghribi style (with diacritic under the letter 'fa') in black, red and green ink; introductory first page written in a different hand in brown ink. 19th century Levantine binding in full red morocco with fore-edge flap, stamped in blind with rules, fleurons and ornamental oval medallions to both covers. Pioneering Abbasid-era study of horsemanship and horse care: the work's only known manuscript in Europe, constituting the long-lost first volume of the set now in the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco. - Titled "Kitab al-Furusiyah" (the "Book of Riding" or "Book of Horses", often referred to as the "Book of Farriery") or, in full, "Kitab fi al-'inayahbi al-khayl wa-sa'ir dawab al-rukub" ("On the care of horses and all other riding animals"), this encyclopedia of horse care was completed ca. 1200 CE. Ahmad ibn al-Ahnaf is known also to have composed a "Kitab al-Baytara" (Book of Veterinary Science) - possibly simply the same work by a different title, although some Arabic sources mention the titles separately. Ahmad was one of the earliest authors to write on the care of horses and possibly the first ever to include illustrations. - The present manuscript comprises the beginning of the work from chapter 1 to the first half of chapter 4. The introduction announces a total of 30 chapters, but no complete copy is known: the most extensive manuscript extant has 29 chapters, while specimens with 26 chapters are more common. As the later chapters are very short, these first four chapters make up more than a quarter of the entire work. They discuss, individually: 1) the study of milk teeth and permanent teeth; 2) the physical appearance and general characteristics of the horse, donkey, and mule; 3) the functions of the external parts of the body; 4) equestrianism and the various ways of mounting a horse. - The present volume completes the incomplete three-volume set in Rabat's National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, which begins with the fifth chapter and fully agrees with the present manuscript in script, page layout, spelling and size (MS 6126, described in the "Chevaux et cavaliers arabes" exhibition catalogue, see reference below). The illustrations in the manuscript in the Royal Library, showing the identical almond-shaped horse eyes and characteristically rounded hooves, are clearly by the same artist, as well. The Rabat MS is dated Dhu'l-Hijja 1126 H (December 1714 CE) and thus provides the date for the volume at hand, although the style of penmanship would easily agree with a 17th century dating. - Upper corners of the first two leaves professionally restored with very little text loss. Some fingerstains and dust-soiling throughout, more pronounced in first and last page, suggesting that the manuscript probably had no binding before the 19th century. Frequent edge tears, confined to margins. Pigments somewhat chipped in the final, double-page-spread illustration. Altogether a beautiful specimen of an Arabic manuscript on equestrianism, and like all such manuscripts of the greatest rarity. Cf. Digard, Chevaux et cavaliers arabes dans les arts d'Orient et d'Occident: exposition présentée à l'Institut du monde arabe (Paris, 2002), pp. 79, 83 & 126 (no. 68).‎

‎Arabian Peninsula. - [Brown, Glen Francis].‎

‎[United States Geological Survey of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia]. Arabian Peninsula. Map I-270 B-2. Washington, D.C., The Survey (U.S. Geological Society), 1967.‎

‎Large chromolithographed map (122 x 139 cm). Scale 1:2,000,000. Second edition. A highly detailed map of the complete Peninsula, the first modern map in 1:2,000,000 scale. Based on the groundbreaking series prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Arabian American Oil Company under the joint sponsorship of Saudi Arabia and the U.S. State Department, "a unique experiment in geological cooperation among several governments, petroleum companies, and individuals" (Seager/Johnston). Also includes the territories of today's Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen. "The plan for a cooperative mapping project was originally conceived in July 1953 [... By 1955] there was established a cooperative agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Department of State, and the Arabian-American Oil Co. to make available the basic areal geology as mapped by Aramco and the U.S. Geological Survey" (ibid.). The plan provided for 21 maps on a 1:500,000 scale in both geologic and geographic versions; "a peninsular geologic map on a scale of 1:2,000,000 was to conclude the project [...] The first geographic quadrangle was published in July 1956 and the last in September 1962. While preparation of the geographic sheets was in progress, a need arose for early publication of a 1:2,000,000-scale peninsular geographic map. Consequently, a preliminary edition was compiled and published in both English and Arabic in 1958" (ibid.). This revised, final version ("I-270 B-2") that first appeared in 1963 incorporated additional photographic, topographic and cultural data. The present map, printed in 1967, is a re-issue of the 1963 edition, merely differing in the date. Includes a key with symbols for water pipelines, desert watering points, oil fields, pumping stations, refineries, and a glossary of Arabic names. - "Although the search for oil, gas and minerals was ultimately to drive geological survey work across the region [...], in its early years it was the need for water that was the catalyst for Saudi Arabia's resource exploration. In 1944 King 'Abd al-'Aziz approached the United States for a technical expert who could assist with the identification and plotting of the kingdom's natural resources, particularly its groundwater reserves. The individual who arrived, Glen F. Brown, was one of the pioneers of a partnership between the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the government of Saudi Arabia that was to span the next five decades and play an important role in the development of the kingdom [...] By 1954 the Saudi Ministry of Finance, USGS and Aramco were working together to produce the first full series of geographic and geologic maps of the country. The first of their type in the Peninsula, these were published [...] in both Arabic and English versions, and the information they contained formed the basis of subsequent Saudi national development plans. To this day, all modern maps of the kingdom trace their roots back to these first publications" (Parry). - Several small tears and paper loss to right and upper margin; occasional small holes. James V. Parry, "Mapping Arabia", in: Saudi Aramco World 2004/1, p. 20ff. OCLC 6681002. O. A. Seager/W. D. Johnston, Foreword to the Geology of the Arabian Peninsula series (U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 560-A-D, 1966).‎

‎[Du Bois-Ayme, Jean Marie Joseph].‎

‎Mémoire sur les tribus Arabes des déserts de l'Égypte et les tribus Israélites qui ont occupé autrefois les mêmes déserts. [Foligno, Feliciano Campitelli], 1810.‎

‎8vo. 126 pp. Contemporary half calf over marbled boards with giltstamped spine and blue morocco spine label. All edges marbled. Early account on the tribes of Egypt. A rare offprint from the "Déscription de l'Égypte", a compilation of the scientific results of Napoleon's Egyptian expedition published in 1809. The present work describes the main Bedouin tribes living in Egypt, including Tarabin, Néfahat, Ayaidi, Hannadi, Mahazi and Beni-Wassel. Also, it makes some observations on the noble Arabian horse, which is considered "more scarce in the deserts of Egypt than in those of the Hejaz and Syria". Prepared by Du Bois-Aymé (1779-1846), one of the leading scientists accompanying the expedition. - Rare variant edition (probably the first) with a slightly different title, also omitting the author's as well as the publisher's name from the title-page. Corners slightly bumped. Paper occasionally browned; light brownstaining near the end. Still a good copy. OCLC 742830325. Cf. Gay 2011; Ibrahim-Hilmy I, 194.‎

‎Ibn al-Banna' al-Marrakushi.‎

‎Kitab Minhaj al-talib li-ta'dil al-kawakib. Northern Africa, [ca. 1490 / 15th century CE].‎

‎4to (160 x 202 mm). Arabic manuscript on watermarked paper, 27 pp. plus 57 pp. of tables, 22 lines per extensum, written in black Maghribi script, emphases and section titles in red; extensive tables at the end. - (Bound with) II: Nour al-Din 'Ali bin Abd al-Qadir al-Fardi al-Hasani. Kitab al-Fawa'id al-jalilah fi fi hall majhulat al-wasila. Near East, 18th century CE. Arabic manuscript on watermarked paper, 98 pp., 19 lines per extensum, black naskh with emphases in red. - (Bound with) III: Brain manuscript. Near East, 18th century CE. Arabic manuscript on watermarked paper, 25 pp., 19 lines per extensum, written in black naskh with emphases in red. - All bound together in oriental brown leather with fore-edge flap, a central oval medallion and stamped borders. A collection of three different Arabic treatises bound in one volume, dealing with astronomy, keeping time and mathematics, as well as psychology, written in Northern Africa and Near East. - Bound first is the "Kitab Minhaj al-talib li-ta'dil al-kawakib" by the Marrakesh-born mathematician, astronomer, and Sufi scholar Ibn al-Banna' (also known as Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Uthman al-Azdi, 1251-1321). A long treatise about astronomy, the movements of the planets, and calculating the times of prayer according to location, it was published by Juan Vernet Ginés in 1952. - The "Kitab al-Fawa'id" by the mathematician Nouraddin ‘Ali al-Faradi (d. 870 H / 1465/66 CE) is a commentary on the "Kitab al-wasila fi 'ilm al-hisab" by the Egyptian mathematician Ibn al-Ha'im al-Misri (d. 1412). A copy is stored in the Al-Azhar Library, Cairo (shelfmark 4374). - At the end is a shorter text containing two sections (fasl 4 and fasl 5) excerpted from a treatise on the power of the human brain and how to exercise it. - The treatise of Ibn al-Banna' shows some edge damage from worming and old repairs, otherwise internally quite sound. Binding professionally restored; modern spine and flap hinge. Provenance: from the private collection of the English art dealer Oliver Hoare (1945-2018), who launched the Islamic Art Department at Christie's. I: GAL II, 331, 5. - II: Cf. GAL S II, 1024, 77.‎

‎[Medicea Press].‎

‎Alphabetum Arabicum [and three other publications from the Medici Oriental Press]. Rome, Typographia Medicea, 1592.‎

‎4to (170 x 232 mm). 64 pp. With woodcut device on title-page. - (Bound with) II: [I'tiqad alamarah ...]. Brevis orthodoxae fidei professio, quae ex praescripto Sanctae Sedis Apostolicae ab Orientalibus ad Sacrosanctae Romanae Ecclesiae unitatem venientibus facienda proponitur. Ibid., 1595. (28) pp., 2 bl. ff. With 2 half-page woodcuts and woodcut device at the end. - (Bound with) III: Ibn Ajurrum, Muhammad ibn Muhammad al Sinhaji. [Kitab al-Ajurrumiyyah]. [Ibid., 1592]. (24) pp. Arabic text throughout, printed in red and black. - (Bound with) IV: Ibn al-Hajib, 'Uthman ibn-'Umar. [Kafiya li-Ibn al-Hajib]. [Ibid., 1592]. (96) pp. Arabic text throughout, printed in red and black. Contemporary full vellum with traces of a handwritten spine title. A fine sammelband containing no fewer than four extremely rare publications from the Medicea Oriental Press, the first printing press in Europe dedicated to printing Arabic typeface. It was founded in Rome in 1584 under the direction of Giabattista Raimondi (1536-1614) and the patronage of Pope Gregory XIII. For the Arabic types, Raimondi commissioned the famous typefounder Robert Granjon. Cutting the Arabic typefaces took a long time, and the first book to bear its imprint did not appear until 1591. Until 1610 Raimondi printed only eight works with Granjon's types. - Contains individually: - I. Alphabetum Arabicum (1592). A prospectus of the Medicea's Arabic typefaces - "a masterpiece of design which not only displays Granjon's beautiful types, but contains a careful Latin Essay on the Arabic writing system" (Lunde, Arabic and the art of printing, in "Aramco World" 1981). - II. Brevis orthodoxae fidei professio (1595). Maronite confession of faith, intended for Eastern Christians who claimed to be united with the Catholic Church. Arabic and Latin parallel text on opposite pages. The woodcuts in the text are after Antonio Tempesta (1555-1630). - III. Kitab al-Ajurrumiyyah (1592). Editio princeps of a short Arabic grammar by the 14th c. scholar Muhammad al-Sanhaji from Fez (Morocco). There are also copies with a Latin title and imprint, "Grammatica Arabica in compendium redacta, quae vocatur Giarrumia". - IV. Kafiya (1592). "Editio princeps of this popular short syntax of the Arabic language, written in the 13th century by the Arabian grammarian Uthman Ibn Umar, known as Ibn al-Hajib (1175-1249). Two centuries later an Oriental printed edition was published in Istanbul (1786), but in the meantime this edition, printed in Arabic (30 point) throughout, could well have passed for a manuscript" (Smitskamp). There are also copies with a Latin title and imprint, "Grammatica arabica dicta Caphiah, auctore filio Alhagiabi". - Binding a little stained; wants ties. Later pastedowns. Occasional slight toning and some minor marginal soiling. "Kafiya" shows some dampstaining to upper edge of a1 and a4, with light offsetting of red Arabic print in the lower margin of d1v. In general, excellent, wide-margined copies throughout. Provenance: Christiaan Druve (d. 1616), abbot of the Sint-Niklaas Abbey in Veurne, with his contemporary ownership entry "Christianus Druvaeus Abb. S. Nicol. Fur. Recogita" on the title-page of the Alphabetum. I. Edit 16, CNCE 1227. Schnurrer 41. Adams A 780. BM-STC Italian 36. OCLC 47816774. Lunde, Paul, "Arabic and the Art of Printing", in: Aramco World 32/2 (1981) (mit Abb.). J. Balagna, L'imprimerie arabe en occident (Paris 1984), p. 135. Cat. Le Livre et le Liban (mentioned p. 190; no copy in the catalogue). Not in Smitskamp (PO) or Fück. - II. Edit 16, CNCE 7571. Zenker 1571. Not in Adams. - III. Edit 16, CNCE 65819. Schnurrer 43. Adams M 1891. GAL S II, p. 332. - IV. Edit 16, CNCE 44392. Schnurrer 42 Adams U 102. GAL I, p. 303. Smitskamp (PO) 30.‎

‎Muret, Charles.‎

‎Plan-relief de Jérusalem et de ses environs [...]. Paris, Victor Poupin, [ca. 1885].‎

‎400 x 460 mm. Plaster relief plan of the city in original hand colour. Scale: 1:5,000 (millimetre to metre) for distances and 1:2,500 for height. Contained in the original wooden and cardboard box, imitating a book. Half cloth over marbled boards with spine-labels. All edges covered in marbled paper coating. With an index mounted to the inside of the cover. Exceptional three-dimensional model of Jerusalem: the fifth edition of this rare relief plan showing the principal landmarks of the city, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Al-Aqsa Mosque, Via Dolorosa, and the Mount of Olives, as well as other places of worship, cemeteries, hospitals, hammams, schools, grottos, and the Pasha's palais. Heightened in blue, green, orange, yellow and brown. With a total of 215 labeled places of interest that are further detailed in the mounted index. - The plan was prepared by the French mathematician and surveyor Charles Muret, who made one of the first representations of a projected canal across the Isthmus of Panama around 1881, as part of the ultimately unsuccessful French venture to build the Panama canal. Muret's plaster cast of the topography of Panama was shown at the 1885 World Exhibition in Antwerp and was awarded a gold medal. In addition to the relief plan of Jerusalem, Muret created similar plans of Paris, Athens and the English Channel. - Small pieces of plaster chipped in a few places. Upper cover somewhat soiled, hinges cracked. Paper coating and cloth starting to peel off in places; fragments of spine-labels lacking. An uncommon specimen of French mapmaking, offering a glimpse of the Holy City and its topology towards the end of the 19th century. OCLC 659770835.‎

‎[Ottoman costumes].‎

‎Hand-painted muraqqa' Ottoman costume album. Probably Constantinople, ca. 1660.‎

‎4to (150 x 208 mm). 70 ff. (numbered 3-71 and 74) of hand-drawn costumes. India ink and gouache heightened in silver and gilt on laid, watermarked paper, polished in the oriental style. Bound in full modern fawn calf signed by J. E. Baudrillart, covers ruled in blind, spine sparsely gilt with title. Top edge gilt. Marbled endpapers. A beautifully crafted album comprising seventy portraits painted by a Turkish artist in colours, gold and silver, illustrating the various offices at the Ottoman court, people of various occupations, different ethnic groups, and their traditional costumes. Most of the portraits are accompanied by captions inscribed in Osmanli at the bottom of the page. One of them, representing Sultan Mehmet IV (1642-93, ruled 1648-87) on his throne, has in the lower part an inscription in French, "Mehemet Grand Seigneur / 1660" (no. 67). Among the further subjects depicted are Janissaries, a porter (hamal), a davul player, messengers of the court, the bearer of the Sultan's sword, women adorned in various costumes, and foreigners. - Albums of this kind were known as muraqqa': compiled from various sources, they were often created to order, by or for Europeans, as gifts to members of Western embassies or as travel souvenirs. European courts appreciated them as valuable sources of diplomatic information. Several similar examples from the second half of the 17th century have survived, among which one of the most famous is the so-called Rålamb Dräktboken (Raland Book of Costumes), acquired in 1657/58 by Claes Ralamb, the Swedish ambassador to the Sublime Porte, and now kept at the Royal Library of Sweden. - A magnificent survival, handsomely bound by Jean-Eudes Baudrillart of Paris. F. Hitzel (ed.), Turkophilia révélée. L'art ottoman dans les collections privées. Catalogue d’exposition publié à l’occasion du 14e congrès international d’art Turc, Collège de France (Galerie Charpentier), 19-23 Sept. 2011, pp. 72f.‎