Mathematics and Astronomy [IO Islamic 1308]

Mathematics and Astronomy.

This manuscript is now IO Islamic 1308 in the India Office collections.

[metadata: Otto Loth, A Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, (volume 1), no. 764 here with further notations and hyperlinks].

764.

1308. Size 101/4 in. by 63/4 in.; foll. 427. Thirty-three lines in a page.

CLAVIUS’ Eight Books of Gnomonics, 1 translated into Arabic by MU’TAMAD KHÂN Rustam b. Diyânat Khân Ḳubâd Ḥârithî Badakhshî, who flourished under Aurangzîb. Entitled كتاب المقاييس . A fragment of it is described in Cat. Mus. Brit. 443.

This is the rough copy of the translator, as is stated in a note which was written on the first leaf by his son, Mîrzâ Muḥammad. This note begins: مسودة كتاب المقاييس الذى صنفه كلاويوس الفرنجى بلسان لاتين و ترجمه والدى رحه بلسان عربى الخ.

There is no preface to this work. It commences as follows: الشكل الاول نريد ان نرسم دستورا . The above title, and the name of the author of the original work occur, however, at the commencement of each following book (مقالة) .

Clearly written in Nasta’liḳ, with numerous diagrams. Slightly injured by damp.

The following note is written on a fly-leaf, apparently by R. Johnson: ‘’Upon Dialling. A work of Clavius in Latin, translated into Arabic by Maatemed Khan, who went to Portugal in the time of Aurungzebe. This is the original foul copy of the translation in the hand of the translator.’’

[Johnson.]

1 Gnomices libri octo. Romae, 1581; see Cat. Mus. Brit. 443 n.