250 Year Old Book - The Wonders of Creation - Year 1770

1 year ago
75

Not for the faint of heart - 33 minutes of this cosmography by Zakarīyā Ibn Muhammad al-Qazwīnī (circa 1203--83), Kitāb'Ajā'ib al-makhlūqāt wa-gharā'ib al-mawjūdāt (The wonders of creation, or literally, Marvels of things created and miraculous aspects of things existing), enjoyed great popularity in the Arab world and was transmitted in numerous copies for centuries. This version at the Bavarian State Library in Munich, Germany, is undated, but a strikingly similar manuscript in the National Library of France bears the date 1762. The script, style, and color spectrum of the depictions suggest that both manuscripts were produced in the same workshop, which may have been in Palestine. The illustrations appear naïve and resemble depictions in Christian Arabic manuscripts of the 18th century. Some of the miniatures reveal that occasionally the total composition of the painting was copied by tracing. Some figures seem to be cut off, although there are no frames in which the illustrations were supposed to be set. Compared to the edition of 1280, the manuscript bears witness to a remarkable decline in the artistic quality of Arab painting. Al-Qazwīnī was born in the Persian town of Qazwīn and worked as a legal expert and judge in Persia and Iraq. He is also known for his geographical dictionary, Athat al-bilad wa-akhbar al-'ibad (Monument of places and history of God's bondsmen), which like his cosmography reflects learning in a wide range of disciplines.

Interested in checking this out for yourself? Curiosity is good for your health!
https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667227/

Created / Published
Palestine : [publisher not identified], [1750 to 1770]

Simply documenting a fascination with antiquated books, texts, photographs, maps and illustrations.
Showcasing a world that appears to be more mysterious and magical than I had ever imagined.

Some books/texts shown in these videos may be edited to feature the visual aspects.
The photos may be in a different order than in the original text.

I will do my best to arrange them accordingly.
Should future videos require the chronology.

* Some titles are in different languages and are translated. They may not be an exact match. Publishing and summary information are directly from digital libraries and sources.

These videos are also posted on Rumble
https://rumble.com/c/c-2139980

Music
Falkirk - AlanFrijns

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