An Almohad copy of the Kitāb al-Aġānī in Sanaa

Journal article

This note presents a rediscovered manuscript from the Islamic West today in the Dār al-maḫṭūṭāt, Sanaa. It is a fair copy of the third volume of the Kitāb al-aġānī, probably produced in al-Andalus in the late twelfth century. The inscriptions on its title page allow us to connect it with the library of the Almohad prince Abū Zakariyāʾ Yaḥyā (fl. 585/1190) and two subsequent owners. It can be argued that the manu- script was kept in Marrakesh, possibly for centuries, before being brought to Yemen. That may have hap- pened before the mid-eighteenth century.

Authors: Bongianino, U; Regourd, A

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Nouvelles Chroniques du manuscrit au Yémen
• Journal: Nouvelles Chroniques du manuscrit au Yémen
• Volume: 16
• Pages: 85-95
• Publication date: 2023-01-31
• EISSN: 2116-0813
• ISSN: 2727-5221
• Language: English
• Keywords: Dār al-maḫṭūṭāt; Kitāb al-aġānī; Maġribī script; al-Andalus; 12th century; Almohads; Sanaa