Description:

SECRET OF AL-AZHAR & THE RED SULFUR, LIGHT OF LIGHTS & THE SECRET OF SECRETS, BY AL-HAKIM AL-KHEMAI DHUL-NUN UTHMAN BIN SUWAVD AL-AKHMAIMI, WRITTEN BY YUSUF BIN YAQUOB AL-ASHIULI 933AH
Egypt or Syria, dated 933 AH / 1526–27 AD

Description:
Arabic manuscript on cream paper, written in black naskh script with red rubrication throughout. This manuscript presents a composite of esoteric and alchemical treatises attributed to the mystic and early alchemist al-Hakim al-Khemai Dhul-Nun Uthman bin Suwavd al-Akhmaimi. The scribe, Yusuf bin Yaquob al-Ashiuli, completed this copy in 933 AH (1526–27 AD). The texts contained, including Sirr al-Azhar, al-Kibrit al-Ahmar (The Red Sulfur), Nur al-Anwar (The Light of Lights), and Sirr al-Asrar (The Secret of Secrets), focus on spiritual alchemy, cosmology, numerology, and hidden sciences.

The manuscript features talismanic squares, mystical diagrams, and marginal annotations indicating scholarly engagement. The binding is later, with marbled paper covers and a reinforced cloth spine, likely from the 19th century. Some folios show signs of restoration and edge repairs, consistent with prolonged use and preservation.

Measurements:
20 x 15.5 cm

Comparable examples:

  • A 16th-century Arabic manuscript of al-Kibrit al-Ahmar, attributed to Jaldaki, sold at Sotheby’s, Arts of the Islamic World, 27 April 2022, Lot 21, for £16,380.

  • A manuscript of Sirr al-Asrar, attributed to pseudo-Aristotle with talismanic content, sold at Bonhams, London, Islamic and Indian Art, 30 March 2021, Lot 76, for £11,475.

  • A composite occult manuscript including al-Kimiya al-Ruhaniyya, 16th century, sold at Christie’s, London, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 25 October 2018, Lot 60, for £15,000.

Note:
Manuscripts that unite the themes of esoteric alchemy, mystical philosophy, and talismanic science under a named author such as Dhul-Nun al-Misri are rare. This copy is especially notable for its completeness, its early date, and its clear scribe attribution. It offers significant insight into the practice and teaching of occult sciences in the early 10th-century AH Islamic world.

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May 6, 2025 1:00 PM BST
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