A Descriptive Catalogue of the Arabic, Persian, And Turkish Manuscripts in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1870 Excerpt: …The book of enigmas by A.bdalKahmdn bin Ahmad Jamf. This book is written in a very eloquent and pleasing style, quite worthy of the great poet,who composed it. It is called TaMiyah ul hulal, “The Adornment of Vestments,” and consists of a preface, three chapters, and a Mtimah, respectively entitled the Diadem Necklaces and Anklets Js, in which the art of making enigmas, charades, etc., is explained in a scientific and lucid manner, and illustrated with numerous examples. It is dedicated to Sah Abu 1 Qasim Babab, Bahadur Han, whose names and titles, with the addition of the words Jiallada lldhu mulJcahu, “May God perpetuate his dominion,” form the solution of an enigma with which, after the tamhid, the book begins. The first words are: And the book concludes with the following statement, from which it would seem that this copy was transcribed from the original draught: y-Li J£ jLc jju dll j ( Xj s-jll Ju Avi l»o ijiM Jl«!! _jji tiU3 “The draughting out of this album, and the laying out of this garden, was performed by the hand of one who has quaffed the bittercupof disappointment, viz., Abd-alEahman bin Ahmad of Jam (jami), and God, whose Name be exalted, granted grace for its completion in the end of the month Eamaan, of the year 856 of Hijrah; and the feeblest of slaves, Idris, transcribed it in the year 874 = A.d. 1460.” Though bound up with E. 13.44, this is quite separate and distinct; it is beautifully written in Tiliq characters, and ornamented with an hnwdn (illuminated heading) and naqsi (coloured border). Its excellent state of preservation throughout would seem to indicate a later date than the one mentioned above, but it will be noticed that most of the works in this volume which are dated at all