Book of Gifts and Rarities (Kitāb al-Hadāyā wa al-Tuḥaf): Selections Compiled in the Fifteenth Century from an Eleventh-Century Manuscript on Gifts and Treasures

by Oleg Grabar (Foreword), Ghada Hijjawi-Qaddumi (Translator)

This work is a translation and study of a ninth- through fifteenth-century manuscript, a selection from a medieval book, Kitāb al-Hadāyā wa al-Tuḥaf ( Book of Gifts and Rarities ), edited by Muhammad Hamidullah. The manuscript furnishes a wealth of varied information offering insights into the period immediately preceding Islam and extending through the first four centuries of Islamic rule. The book provides valuable information on “gifts” exchanged on various occasions between Islamic rulers and their foreign counterparts. “Rarities” form a part of the gifts; some of them are marvels, others are mythical.

The manuscript is an invaluable source of information in many fields. It abounds with technical references and details in various areas of Islamic art, which renders it unique as a reference. The extensive detailed treatment, in the context of the overall material culture, provides a particularly rich source of information for those working both in the specific field of Islamic art and in that of Islamic culture as a whole.

Genres: Art History

551 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1996

About the author

أوليغ غرابار (Oleg Grabar) (من مواليد 3 نوفمبر 1929 في ستراسبورغ فرنسا، مؤرخ وعالم آثار، تخصص في مجال الفنون والعمارة الإسلامية. حصل على الدكتوراه من جامعة برنستون عام 1955. كان عضو في هيئة التدريس في جامعة ميتشيغان، في 1954-69، قبل أن يحصل على تعيين أستاذ في جامعة هارفارد. في عام 1980 أصبح أستاذ عمارة وفن إسلامي في جامعة هارفارد، وبقي حتى عام 1990 عندما انضم إلى معهد الدراسات العليا. أستاذ فخري منذ عام 1998.

Oleg Grabar (November 3, 1929 – January 8, 2011) was a French-born art historian and archeologist, who spent most of his career in the United States, as a leading figure in the field of Islamic art and architecture.

Reviews

[Mihai Covaliuc · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book represents a translation and study of a ninth- through fifteenth-century manuscript, from the medieval book Kitāb al-Hadāyā wa al-Tuḥaf (Book of Gifts and Rarities), edited by Muhammad Hamidullah. It is one of the most important and impressive books about medieval gifts, from Arabs to Byzantines and vice versa.

[Anatolikon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treasure of a translation about, well, treasures. At some point in the second half of the eleventh century in the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt someone recorded a series of short notices about things in Islamic treasuries