Description:

THE FIRST & SECOND PARTS OF THE BOOK AL-NAFI FI VETERINARY SCIENCE OR THE DETECTOR OF WOE IN TREATING HORSE DISEASES, COMPILED BY AL-HAKIM ABU BAKR BIN BADR AL-DIN AL-MUNDHIR AL-BITAR, WRITTEN BY ABDULLAH BIN SALEM AL-FALAHI AL-MALIKI IN THE TOWN OF KHOR FAKKAN IN THE OMAN REGION IN THE YEAR 950
Khor Fakkan, Oman, dated 950 AH / 1543–44 AD

Description:
Arabic manuscript on old Mamluk paper, written in an Omani Bedouin hand. This rare veterinary manual contains the first and second parts of Al-Nafi fi ‘Ilm al-Baytara (The Useful Book in Veterinary Science), also referred to as Kashif al-Shaja fi ‘Ilaj Amradh al-Khayl (The Detector of Woe in Treating Horse Diseases). It was compiled by the notable veterinarian and scholar al-Hakim Abu Bakr bin Badr al-Din al-Mundhir al-Bitar and transcribed by Abdullah bin Salem al-Falahi al-Maliki in 950 AH (1543–44 AD), in the coastal town of Khor Fakkan in present-day Oman.

The manuscript is written in a distinct Omani script with strong regional characteristics, using a dark brown ink with sparse rubrication. The content addresses diagnosis and treatment of equine diseases, including bleeding, colic, lameness, and infectious conditions, alongside practical procedures and local herbal remedies. Comprising 23 leaves, it represents a valuable witness to early veterinary practice in the Arabian Peninsula.

Measurements:
18 x 14 cm

Comparable examples:

  • A 15th-century Arabic manuscript on horse medicine by Ibn Akhi Hizam, sold at Christie’s, London, Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds, 27 April 2023, Lot 56, for £13,860.

  • A veterinary treatise from Ottoman Syria, 16th century, with 31 leaves, sold at Sotheby’s, Arts of the Islamic World, 25 October 2017, Lot 42, for £10,625.

  • A North African manuscript on equine therapy, 17th century, sold at Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 29 March 2022, Lot 73, for £9,563.

Note:
Veterinary texts are among the rarer branches of Islamic manuscript literature, especially those originating from the Arabian Gulf. This manuscript is significant for its early date, regional provenance, and practical content, offering an important contribution to our understanding of indigenous Arabian veterinary knowledge and manuscript culture in Oman.

 

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May 6, 2025 1:00 PM BST
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