A Doctor’s Book on Zoology; Al-Marwazi's Taba'tal-Hayawan (Nature of Animals) Re-assessed

Jul 3, 2026

A scholarly reassessment of al-Marwazi’s Taba'at al-hayawan (Nature of Animals), focusing on problems of identification and dating. The text traces earlier scholarship by Professor Arberry, who recovered a zoological fragment from the India Office Library and discussed manuscript attribution and chronological consistency. It explains how later cataloging work and subsequent recognition of related manuscripts enabled an Arabic transcript, English translation, and commentary, with emphasis on chapters on China, the Turks, India, Abyssinians, and related geography and sources.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

Problems of identification

Manuscript discovery and attribution

Bibliographic follow-up

Translation and commentary scope

Content highlights: China, Turks, India

Source criticism and scholarly impact

(u) 5e22 2586 AL-TAYYIBI,AMIN."The Arabs of al-Marwazi.”(in Arabic)Al-Mustami'al-Arabi(London)9 No.20('49)4-5.Asummary of the chapter on the Arabs fromal-Marwazi's Taba'i al-Hayawan 7MUZ 199 ②AL、S.金,9o3 # A DOCTOR’S BOOK ON ZOOLOGY;AL-MARWAZI'S TABAT'AL-HAYAWAN(NATURE OF ANIMALS)RE-ASSESSED byAlbert Z.IskandarLondon ## 1.Problems of identification Some four decades ago,the late Professor Arberry published a short notein which he recovered “a large fragment of what is evidently a scientifictreatise on zoology written,most probably in Persia by a Persian,in thefirst half of the sixth century A.H.,…possibly an autograph”,housed inthe India Office Library(MS Delhi Arabic 1949).He outlined its generalcontents,with a view to making a detailed study at a later date,andmentioned a note in a late hand on the manuscript-wrapper,attributing thework,which the entry identified as Kitab al-hayawān(Book of animals),toSharaf al-Zamān Muhammad al-Ilaqi [sic].Arberry provided chronologicalevidence from the text to the effect that,if the entry meant the “well-knownpupil of Avicenna”,it would be incorrect¹.He also suggested,with caution,that this particular fragment could be from a lost book,entitled Taba'ial-hayawanat (Nature of animals)by Sharaf al-Zaman Tahir a!-Marwazi(fifth-sixth century A.H./eleventh-twelfth century A.D.)². In the same year that Arberry published his paper on MS Delhi Arabic1949,Brockelmann listed the title Taba'i al-hayawan under Sharaf al-Zamān 下一85、66子8夏NBu makale 266-312 sayfalar arasındadır. / 23,/943(Germeny c,30)5.25.22/ DfG1 ever shall be otherwise than just and honourable to China as well as to the UnitedStates." The fact that“we are children of Hellas”has not made us the less appreciativeof the ancient civilization of China which grew up independently.And if,on bothsides,we honour the principles of the new treaties in the spirit of friendship andalliance in which they have been conceived,the problems of the future,in whichChinese and foreigners alike are so vitally concerned,should find their satisfactorysolution.P.H.B.K. Sharaf Al-Zaman Tabir Marvazi on China,the Turks and India.Arabic text(circa A.D.II20),with an English translation and commentaryby Professor Minorsky.James G.Forlong Fund.I942. Some years ago Dr.Arberry discovered that an Arabic MS.in the IndiaOffice Library was a treatise on“The Natural Properties of Animals,”pre-viously known only by quotations in the Collection of Anecdotes by Auf,whodied between A.D,I232 and 1242.A second manuscript in the British Museumis now recognized as part of the same work.A few references indicate that theauthor was alive at an advanced age in A.D.II20.Most of the work(15I+folios)describes animals“from the elephant to the flea,”but the introduction(66 folios)has a section on geography with some notes of an anthropologicalcharacter,and Professor Minorsky now publishes an Arabic transcript,a trans-lation and a commentary covering the chapters on the Chinese,the Turks,thelndians,the Abyssinians and outlying countries and islands.He thus de-velops with his usual skill and erudition the work done in his edition of theHudud al-Alam(1937)on early Arab geographers. An interesting historical event is recorded in the account of the Chinese,where letters are given from the Supreme Khan of Qitay and the Yughur Khanto Mahmud of Ghazni praying for an alliance.This embassy is also recordedby Gardizi,but the text of the letters is here given in full.Mahmud's reply is,briefly:"I have no need of close relations with you until you accept Islam."Professor Minorsky notes that Biruni interviewed these ambassadors in Ghazniand probably obtained from them details of Chinese geography,which he usedin one of his works.Marvazi has even fuller accounts,which may have comefrom the same source and are of great interest.The chapter on the Turks alsocontains fresh material,especially about the early migrations of these nomads.As two of their tribal names appear fo

FAQs

What main identification problem does the document address?

It examines how a zoological fragment should be identified, attributed, and chronologically validated, including whether it could match a well-known pupil of Avicenna or belong to a lost work by Sharaf al-Zaman Tahir al-Marwazi.

How did Arberry’s discovery influence later understanding of the work?

Arberry recovered a fragment in the India Office Library, outlined its contents, and suggested cautious links to a broader lost book. Subsequent bibliographic listing and manuscript recognition helped confirm the work’s title and scope.

What does Minorsky’s publication contribute to the reassessment?

Minorsky provides an Arabic transcript, an English translation, and an extensive commentary covering sections on China, the Turks, Indians, Abyssinians, and surrounding regions, alongside detailed references to earlier writers and clarification of terminology.

Jul 3, 2026

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