Ibn al-Mujâwir (m. 1291)

Tâ'rîkh al-mustabṣir - Chronicle of an observer. Copied for: Muhammad Agha b. Wali al-Muqata'ci. Ottoman province of Yemen, 1035 (=1626) Manuscript in Arabic on ivory-edged paper, 187 leaves, calligraphed in cursive with black ink on 17 lines per page in a triple filleted border, with important words in red or larger script. The manuscript opens with a title page and is illustrated with 15 diagrams of cities in Arabia and Yemen. Bound in stamped black morocco. Ibn al-Mujawir's (d. 1291AD). Tarikh al-Mustabsir, copied for Muhammad Agha b. Wali al-Muqata'ci. Ottoman Empire, Yemen, dated 1035 AH / 1626 AD. Arabic manuscript on dark cream paper, 187ff. in black ink script on 17ll. to the page, catchwords in bold or in red, an opening folio with the title, illustrated with 15 diagrams depicting cities of Arabia. The author Ibn al-Mujâwir is less a geographer than a tireless traveler with a taste for storytelling. Probably originating from Iran, Ibn al-Mujawir appears to be a merchant who, following the age-old Islamic practice of pilgrimage to Mecca, then travelled to the region to pursue his commercial interests. Coming from India, he begins the account of his journey upon his arrival in Mecca. From there he continued south across the Red Sea coastal plain to Yemen and along the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. He settled in Aden where he remained until 1233, around which time he wrote his "Chronicle of an Intelligent Observer", the only work we know of. Yemen was then in the last years of the Ayyubid domination which ended in 1228 with the advent of the Rasulid dynasty. The country was then in a process of political stabilization and enjoyed great prosperity. The text Ibn al-Mujâwir's work is a travelogue, a treatise on geography, a collection of observations and a compilation of legends. The work is built according to the road routes that run through these regions of Arabia, interspersed with digressions and descriptions of localities and customs. It is a unique and unequalled testimony to the popular life of these regions. If the author resorts to the astrologer and geographer al-Bîrûnî, he mainly compiles the accounts that are reported to him. Thus, he tells us how in the port of Aden, a tunnel dug by Hanuman emerges, an echo of the Ramayana according to which the demigod digs a passage by night to free the heroine Sita, illustrating the permeability of the legends that travel. Regularly, he describes the customs surrounding marriage or popular festivals in the regions he travels through. Finally, it is probably on trade that his account is the most informed. He gives a lot of information about customs duties, the topographical organization of the port, and the agricultural products that passed through, thus delivering a unique testimony of the life of the thirteenth century in southern Arabia. The copy Yemen came under Ottoman rule in 1538, when Hadim Suleiman Pasha, commander of the Ottoman fleet in Egypt, landed in Aden and overthrew the Zabid dynasty. Our copy is made in the context of Zaidi revolts against the Ottoman government. Our copy is made for Muhammad Agha b. Wali al-Muqata'ci, a member of the Ottoman administration in charge of collecting agricultural taxes for the Sublime Porte. The author Ibn al-Mujâwir is less a self-taught geographer than a tireless traveler with a taste for stories. Probably originated from Iran. Following the centuries-old Islamic practice of pilgrimage to Mecca, Ibn al-Mujawir appears to be a trader who travels to the region to pursue his commercial interests. Coming from India, he begins the story of his journey upon his arrival in Mecca. From there it continues south through the Red Sea coastal plain, into Yemen and along the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. He moved to Aden where he remained until 1233. At that time, he wrote his "Chronicle of an Intelligent Observer", the only work we know of him. Yemen then experienced the very last years of Ayyubid domination which ended in 1228, with the advent of the Rasulides dynasty. The country was then in a process of political stabilization and enjoyed great prosperity. The text The work of Ibn al-Mujâwir ravelogue brings together all kinds of materials: treatises on geography, collections of observations, legendary compilations. His work is built upon different regions of Arabia, interspersed with digressions and descriptions about localities and customs. It is a unique and unequalled testimony to the popular life of these regions. The author uses the astrologer and geographer al-Bîrûnî's work and compiles the stories that are reported to him.