Abu al Mutahhar al Azdi: Hikayat Abi l-Qasim al-Baghdadi (Tale of Abu l-Qasim al-Baghdadi)(1010)
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Taken from: Sitzungsberichte, Volumes 48-53 Physikalisch-medicinische societät zu Erlangen 1918
In the work of al-Azdi (p. 36), Abu'l Qasim lists the fragrances which are not present in Isfahan, while they are found in Baghdad; these are the following:
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N. 12. Camphor, a) the famous ruba’i (probably al ribahi), which resembles the sea salt, b) the fansur (not qaisur), the scaly, c) the one from Tabriz, d) the zafzaf , e) the azad, f) al mahrasan (= al manischan?), h) the sarchan (= suhan), one cooks them with:
Nr 13. a) the blue, fat amber al schalahat (= salahat) (1), and (b) the gray precious ones from Schihr (2), and (c) those of Zang and (d) those of the fish. (3) If one throws a piece at the fire, it boils as the kettle boils and booms like the stove. A breath, like that of the flame, rises from it.
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(1) Ambra al salahati: Ambergris that was imported from the region of Sofala (India). Ambra al schalahati: salahat ambergris; a good quality. Also found in: Ibn Masawaih (857); Ibn Wadih al-Ya'qubi (d897); Sa'id al-Tamimi (980); Abu al Mutahhar al Azdi (1010); Ismail Gorgani (1110); Nuwayri (1333).
(2) Shihr: coastal town in Hadhramaut in eastern Yemen;
(3) His account on ambergris: The earliest source in which this information is found is Ibn Masawaih 857, others who repeated it are: Ibn Wadih al-Ya'qubi d897, Ibn Rosteh 903, al Masudi 916, Ibn Serapion 950, al Tamimi 980, Abu al Mutahhar al Azdi 1010; Ibn Butlan 1066; Ibn al-Wafid 1074; Nuwayri 1333; Musa Ud-Damiri 1405; Al Qalqashandi 1418. Off course much was added and discarded on the way. The most extensive article on ambergris is from Musa Ud-Damiri 1405.