Wonders and Rarities: The Marvelous Book That Traveled the World and Mapped the Cosmos

465 Pages·2023·39.241 MB·English

by  Travis Zadeh

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The MARVELOUS BOOK
THAT TRAVELED the WORLD
and MAPPED the COSMOS
TRAVIS ZADEH

won­ders­and­rarities

WO ND E R S and R A R I T I E S
g
THE MARVELOUS BOOK THAT TRAVELED THE WORLD
AND MAPPED THE COSMOS
Travis­Zadeh
harvard­university­press
cambridge,­mas­sa­chu­setts
london,­­england
2023
­Copyright­©­2023­by­the­President­and­Fellows­of­Harvard­College
All­rights­reserved
Printed­in­the­United­States­of­Amer­i­ca
Cover­art:­The­angel­Ruh­holding­the­celestial­spheres,­illustration­from­the­‘Aja’ib­al-Makh-
luqat­(Wonders­of­Creation)­by­Qazwini,­c.1550-1600­|­©­Ashmolean­Museum­/­Bridgeman­
Images
Cover­design­by­Marina­Drukman
9780674287648­(EPUB)
9780674287631­(PDF)
Publication­of­this­book­has­been­supported­through­the­generous­provisions­of­the­
Maurice­and­Lula­Bradley­Smith­Memorial­Fund
First­printing
Cataloging-in-Publication­Data­is­available­from­the­Library­of­Congress
ISBN:­978-0-674-25845-7­(alk.­paper)
Contents
Note on Conventions vii
Introduction:­Won­der’s­End 1
i.­a­world­within­words 25
1­ ­Stranger­Lands 27
2­ ­Mea­sures­of­Authority 45
3­ ­Astral­Power 73
ii.­won­ders­to­behold 95
4­ ­Cosmic­Order 97
5­ ­Terrestrial­Designs 128
6­ ­Alchemical­Bodies 166
iii.­distant­shores 197
7­ ­Long­Divided 199
8­ ­Across­the­Globe 223
vi } C ONTENTS
9­ ­On­the­Edge 261
Coda:­Acts­of­Enchantment 294
Note on Sources and Method 333
Sigla and Abbreviations 337
Notes 343
Acknowle dgments 407
Illustration Credits 413
Index 417
Note­on­Conventions
This­book­references­terms,­names,­and­phrases­originally­recorded­in­dif-
fer­ent­alphabets.­This­includes­materials­in­Arabic,­New­Persian,­Ottoman­
Turkish,­and­Urdu.­While­­these­languages­­were­written­using­the­Arabic­
script,­their­pronunciation­and­orthography­varied­in­significant­ways.­An­
effort­has­been­made­to­follow,­with­some­degree­of­consistency,­established­
conventions­for­transliteration.­Persian,­Turkish,­and­Urdu­pronunciations­
of­Arabic­loanwords­and­names­are­rendered­when­appropriate­(e.g.,­fazl,
masnavī, mezheb),­save­for­publication­information­in­the­notes­originally­
written­in­the­Arabic­script,­where­Arabic­transliteration­is­generally­used­
for­the­purposes­of­consistency.­Toponyms­and­dynasties­are­rendered­with­
modern­Eng­lish­spellings­(e.g.,­Qazvin,­Mecca;­Ilkhanids,­Timurids).­Proper­
names­and­words­common­to­En­glish­are­not­transliterated.­­Unless­other­wise­
stated,­all­translations­are­my­own.­Many­of­the­dates­for­individuals­and­
events­found­in­the­original­historical­sources­are­only­estimates.­When­
relevant,­the­corresponding­Common­Era­year­is­noted­­after­the­date­in­the­
Islamic­lunar­calendar,­or,­for­modern­publications­from­Iran,­the­Islamic­solar­
calendar.­Without­the­month­or­day­for­a­given­event,­it­is­often­only­pos­si­ble­
to­offer­a­range­of­two­years­when­converting­into­the­Common­Era.­In­such­
situations,­a­symbol­of­approximation­(~)­has­been­used.