Box 1

File — Box: 1

Scope and Contents

Volume 1
Title: [Stories and Poetry]
Date: 1544 CE, 951 AH
[219] pp.
Description: Foldover tooled sheep, 10.7 x 17 cm
Notes: Includes Sa'di's Gulistan. Persian, stories and fragments of poetry, copied by Mustafa ibn Ahmad
Provenance: Gift of Archibald Roosevelt, Jr.

Volume 2
Title: Koran
Date: 1830 CE, 1246 AH
[412] pp.
Description: Falf with tooled covers; front cover detached, 21.0 cm
Notes: Maghribi script
Provenance: Gift of John F. Mullowrny, Consul to Morocco, 10 September 1845

Volume 3
Title: Salawat (Christian Prayers)
Date: before 1848
[470] pp.
Description: Black calf with gilt borders, 6.6 x 13 cm
Notes: Reference to a death in the family of the owner of the book (Anton, who died 21 July 1848) is written on the flyleaf.
Provenance: unknown

Volume 4
Title: Jāmiʿal-Tawārīkh
Author: Rashīd al-Dīn Ṭabīb
Date: 19th century
[452] pp.
Description: Calf with laquered covers, illustrated; contained in modern green box, 37.0 cm.
Notes: by well known medieval Muslim historian--history of the Monguls with four miniature illustrations. In Persian
Provenance: Gift of Archibald Roosevelt, Jr., in celebration of Lauinger's Millionth Volume, 1983

Volume 5
Title: Koran [extracts]
Date: 19th century
[122] pp.
Description: calf, gilt, and with binding by Joseph Milligan, 10.0 cm.
Notes: Notes in Persian at the end, 170 empty pages except for the borders follow the text
Provenance: Formerly in the possession of Commodore Stephen Decatur, who was said to have taken it from the body of a Muslim sailor at Tripoli. Possibly one of the earliest Arabic manuscripts to have come to America

Volume 6
Title: Koran
Date: 19th century
[695] pp.
Description: red calf, tooled and gilt with beautiful Islamic design, 11.5 cm.
Notes: in Maghribi script with illuminations and marginal decorations
Provenance: From the collection of Rev. Edmund A. Walsh, SJ

Volume 7
Title: Kitāb Tuḥfat al-albāb wa-taḥiyat al-iʻjāb wa ʿajāʾib al-dunyā (The Book of the Marvels of the Mind and A Tribute to the Wonders of the World)
Author: (Shaykh) Muḥammad al-Gharnaṭī al-Maghribī
Date: 19th Century
[140] pp.
Description: foldover calf, red, and gilt, 20.0 cm.
Contents: Chapter 1 - History of the World / Chapter 2 - The architecture of certain areas: Story of the Brass City from the Arabian Nights which the jinhs had built; the story of the Lake which had jinhs imprisoned within; the Library of Alexandria and Alexander the Great; various cities in Syria, Persia (the palace of the Persian emperor), etc. / Chapter 3 - Description of the sea and the animals that live there. Talks about China Seas Islands, the River Nile animals, etc. / Chapter 4 - Description of the graves and the Resurrection following the Day of Judgement. This chapter also contains some poetry. / Chapter 5 - Tale of an unusual story.
Notes: Maghribi script, with a postcard describing gift of this manuscript from Jacques O'Hana to Thomas Walsh included
Provenance: Gift of Edward M. and Lorna Gill Walsh, from the library of their late brother Thomas Walsh (1871-1928) who was a poet, editor, and scholar of Hispanic Culture.

Volume 8
Title: [Prayer Book]
Date: 19th century
[95] pp.
Description: sheep on cardboard, gilt design, and borders on covers, 12.8 x 20.5 cm; copy on laid paper
Notes: in Turkish
Provenance: Purchased, in 1976(?)

Volume 9
Title: Kama Sutra
Author: attributed to Vatsyayana
Date: late 19th or early 20th century
[94] leaves, 39 full-page illustrations
Description: contained in modern orange box, text on 94 leaves, plus two blanks, 21.0 cm.
Notes: from Afghanistan, with upper cover and portion of lower cover of the manuscript included, with illuminated drawings, mostly of erotic activity
Provenance: Gift of David Gilsin, 1979

Folder 10
Title: [unidentified Persian Text]
Date: unknown
[4] pages on two leaves
Description: two manuscript leaves, blue paper with brown and orange borders, 32.0 cm.
Provenance: Gift of Eric F. Menke, July 1979

Folder 11
Title: Jadwal halat al-kawakib al-sa'iyah al-buruj al-ithna 'ashar (Astrological Table)
Date: 1833 CE, 1249 AH
[2] pages on 1 leaf
Description: obverse has table in Arabic dealing with the Zodiac and Stars, reverse has an unidentified Persian text; both sides bordered in red and brown
Provenance: Gift of Eric F. Menke, July 1979

Folder 12
Title: Shāfi’ī Legal Manual
Date: 19th century
Description: This item was originally misidentified as a Quran. Allegedly from the Harrar area in Northern Ethiopia.
Provenance: Gift of Paul F. Betz, December 2012 (Accession GTM-121212)

Dates

From the Collection: 1544-1800s

Conditions Governing Access

Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.