Biography and History [IO Islamic 26A]

Biography and History. 

This manuscript is now IO Islamic 26A in the India Office collections.

[metadata: Otto Loth, A Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, (volume 1), no. 719 here with further notations and hyperlinks].

719.

26A. Size 81/4 in. by 61/4 in.; foll. 139. Eighteen lines in a page.

Personal narrative of the travels of ÎLYÂS B. ḤANNA MAUṢILÎ, a Chaldæan priest, in various parts of western Europe, and in Peru (الپیرّوه) and Mexico (ينكيدنيا) , during A.D. 1668-1683 ; followed by a historical account of Peru, which was compiled during a prolonged stay in that county.

After the prologue (ديباجة), which begins: الحمد لله الذى خلق البرايا بحكمته , the subject of the work is introduced as follows : كتاب سياحة الخورى ايلياس ابن قسيس حنا الموصلى من عيلة بيت عمّون الكلدانى .

The author set out from Baghdâd, A.D. 1668, on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and afterwards went to Europe by Iskenderûn and Venice. In A.D. 1675 he started for South America, Whence he returned to Spain in 1683. He appears to have been still resident in Spain when he completed the present work.

The account of Peru (foll. 61 sqq.) refers to the conquest and the early history of that country, and was compiled from Spanish books. It is divided into seventeen sections (فصل) . The last of these contains a report presented by Padre Francisco Romero (روميرو) , of the order of St. Augustine, a missionary in the West Indies, to Charles II., King of Spain , A.D. 1693.

Well written. This copy was transcribed in the East, and is dated 20th Kânûn I., 1751. The original copy was finished at Puerto de Santa Maria in Spain, A.D. 1699. This appears from the colophon, which runs as follows (fol.138): قد تكمل هذا الكتاب بعون الله الوهاب فى پورط صانتا ماريّا التى هى مقابل لمينة كادس على يد الحقير الكوالير اندراوس ابن مقدسى عبدالله الكلدانى فى اول يوم شهر ادار المبارك سنة الف و ستمائة و تسعة و تسعين مسيحية فى اول نساخته.

و نساخته الثانية فى شهر كانون الاول عشرين يوم فى سنة ١٧٥١مسيحية و المجد لله دائمًا.

The last three pages give a list of the contents.

At the end of the book is a note in the handwriting of شمّاس كوركيس , stating that he paid to مقدسى شماس حنا , for copying this volume, twenty-nine بغدادية , or three and a half per quire. On the title-page is a note of purchase, dated A.D. 1786.

There are also written on it the followings words, in the Eatrangelâ character: بسم الله تيمّنًا و تبارك بذكره القديم.