Oliver White
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Lot 255•
Ahmad bin Muhammad ibn al-Bana al-Marakkishi, Kashf al-Hajb wa'l-sutur 'an 'ilmay al-kusur wa'l-juzur, a treatise on mathematical roots, copied by the scribe Suleyman bin Muhammad al-Qashtali North Africa, dated 14th Jumada al-Thani 1201/4th March 1787(2)
23 April 2013, 10:30 BST
London, New Bond Street£2,000 - £3,000
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Ahmad bin Muhammad ibn al-Bana al-Marakkishi, Kashf al-Hajb wa'l-sutur 'an 'ilmay al-kusur wa'l-juzur, a treatise on mathematical roots, copied by the scribe Suleyman bin Muhammad al-Qashtali
North Africa, dated 14th Jumada al-Thani 1201/4th March 1787
North Africa, dated 14th Jumada al-Thani 1201/4th March 1787
Arabic manuscript on paper, 12 leaves, 17 lines to the page written in clear maghribi script in black ink with significant words and numbers picked out in red, catchwords in wide outer margins, slight waterstaining mostly restricted to outer margins otherwise in good condition, modern reddish brown morocco with stamped central medallions, doublures and flyleaves of yellow paper, 201 x 145 mm.; and Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad bin Sa'id bin Muhammad as-Susi al-Marghishi al-Maghribi, Kitab al-Mumti' fi sharh al-muqni' fi 'ilm Abi muqri' fi 'ilm al-falak, a commentary on astronomy, copied by Abdul-Qadir ibn Ahmad, better known as Ibn Badran as-Sa'di al-Dimashqi, North Africa, dated AH 1302/AD 1884-85, Arabic manuscript on European watermarked paper, 33 leaves, 23 lines to the page written in naskhi script in black ink, significant sentences and titles picked out in purple, catchwords, occasional explanatory notes in outer margins, some tables, corners rather thumbed, some waterstaining mostly restricted to outer margins, dotted light brown covers, torn and stained, rebacked, doublures and flyleaves of yellow paper
220 x 162 mm.(2)
220 x 162 mm.(2)
Footnotes
The full name of the author of the first manuscript is Abu'l-'Abbas Ahmad bin Muhammad bin 'Uthman bin al-Banna al-Azdi al-Marrak[shi (born circa 1260–died circa 1340). He was known as Ibn al-Banna, the son of the architect, born in Marrakech where he lived and died, and was a mathematician and astronomer. For a list of his works see B. A. Rosenfeld, E. Ihsanoglu, Mathematicians, Astronomers & Other Scholars of Islamic Civilisation and their Works (7th–19th C.), Istanbul 2003, pp 241–243, no. 696. See also Brockelmann, GAL, G II, 255; S II, 364.
The author of the second manuscript (1598-1678) was from Sus and was the imam of a mosque in Marrakesh. He composed the work entitled Sharh al-Muqni fi 'ilm Abi Muqri, a commentary on the work of Abu al-Muqri. Later on, in the 17th-18th century, an astronomer by the name of Abu 'Abdallah al-Muhibbi al-Mari'ati wrote a commentary on al-Marghithi's above-mentioned work which he entitled al-Mumti' fi sharh al-muqni' fi 'ilm Abi al-Muqri. See B. A. Rosenfeld, E. Ihsanoglu, Mathematicians, Astronomers & Other Scholars of Islamic Civilization and their Works (7th–19th C.), Istanbul 2003, p. 371, no. 1166, and p. 397, no. 1295 respectively.