Cannabaceae

Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah Al-Azraqi (Arabic: محمد بن عبد الله الأزرقي) was a 9th-century Islamic commentator and historian, and author of the Kitab Akhbar Makka (Book of Reports about Mecca).[1][2][3]

Al-Azraqi was from a family who lived in Mecca for hundreds of years. He gave information on the design and layout of the pre-Islamic Ka'aba at Mecca after its rebuilding following a fire in 603 AD until its possession by Muhammad in 630 AD. The contents included a statue of Hubal, the principal male deity of Mecca, and a number of other pagan items, which were destroyed in 630 as idolatrous. They also included a pair of ram’s horns said to have belonged to the ram sacrificed by Abraham in place of his son, Ismail, and a painting (probably a fresco) of Jesus and Mary. According to al-Azraqi, Muhammad spared these items, which survived until the destruction by the Umayyads in 683. Al-Azraqi is silent on the fate of the images of trees that are known also to have decorated the interior of the Ka'aba, pictures of which formed part of the mosaic decoration on the walls of al-Qalis Church, Sanaa, and were later to emerge in the Umayyad mosaics in the Dome of the Rock, the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and the Great Mosque of Damascus.[4]

The key manuscript of Akhbar Makka is Leiden, University Library, Or.424.[3] The only printed edition is volume one of Die Chroniken der Stadt Mekka, ed. by Ferdinand Wüstenfeld, 4 vols (Leipzig 1858-61), vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Azraqī, Muḥammad ibn ʻAbd Allāh; Wüstenfeld, Ferdinand (1964). Kitab akhbar Makkah wa ma jaʼa fiha min al-athar. Bʹeinit: Khayats. OCLC 32149369.
  2. ^ Al-Azraqi (2003). Akhbar Makka: History of Makka. p. 262. ISBN 9773411273.
  3. ^ a b Andrew Marsham (2010). "al-Azraqī". In Dunphy, Graeme (ed.). Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle. Leiden: Brill. p. 138. ISBN 90-04-18464-3.
  4. ^ King, G. R. D. 2004. The Paintings of the Pre-Islamic Ka'ba. In Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Culture of the Islamic World, XXI, 219-230

One thought on “Cannabaceae

  1. Well, that’s interesting to know that Psilotum nudum are known as whisk ferns. Psilotum nudum is the commoner species of the two. While the P. flaccidum is a rare species and is found in the tropical islands. Both the species are usually epiphytic in habit and grow upon tree ferns. These species may also be terrestrial and grow in humus or in the crevices of the rocks.
    View the detailed Guide of Psilotum nudum: Detailed Study Of Psilotum Nudum (Whisk Fern), Classification, Anatomy, Reproduction

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