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Radiyy al-Din al-Hasan b. Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. Haydar b. Ali b. Ismaʿil al-Kurashi al-Adawi al-Umari, lexicographer and muhaddith , who owed his name to the upper Oxus province of Cag̲haniyan. Born in Lahore 1181 he travelled between the years 1208-9 and 1218-9—to Mecca, Medina, Aden and Makdishu. Later to Baghdad and India. His death was in 1252. His works as lexicographer: (1) al-Takmila wa 'l-dhayl wa'l-sila; (2) Madjma al-bahrayn; (3) al Ubab al-zakhir wa 'l-lubab al-fakhir. Looking at the entries in his books he did visit Mogadishu and is the first to mention Bandar Musa.
Note: Taken from: العباب الزاخر واللباب الفاخر: A-TH - Page 5 by al-Hasan ibn Muḥammad Saghani.
In his introduction (not numbered pages) also extracts of his writings found in other works are given.These are the interesting ones:
Al-Zibad (Civet) (1): I carried this animal with me, and at the time I was in Muqdashuh (2) in the months of the year six hundred and nine (1212-3 AD) in an iron cage, and they call it the al-zubad (Civet) and the al-ziyad (Al-Abab: Zayad).
Ibn Abbad (3) said: there were in the water beasts like dolphins and it was said that it is a great fish that cuts a man in half in the water and then swallows it. Al-Saghani, the author of this book, said: It also occurred in several copies of Al-Muhit (3), with the inclusion of al-bayiyn. And I heard this name in the year nine and six hundred (1212-3AD). And I've seen this fish in Muqadashuh (2), and the diver was cut in half, it swallowed half of it, and the other half floated above the water, and the people of the country were confused and hunted it. And they found half of that diver in his stomach.
Taken from: islamport.com العباب الزاخر
Vol1 p258
Z.t
Al-Z.tt: A race of people, one Z.ti; such as Zanj, Zanji, Rum (Rome) and Rumi,
Vol1 p373
Ibn Duraid said: Taffah: a creep that resembles a mouse. ……… Al-Asma’i said: I saw it, but he denied that it resembled a mouse. Al-Saghani, the author of this book, said: This animal is one of the prey animals that hunts. I had several animals, and they grew until they were as big as a sheep. Beautiful appearance, and it is called: the coquettish and the embrace of the earth, and it is in Persian? Siah Kush? In Turkish, “Qara Qalag” and in Barbar, “Nabha Kuddud.” Most of what it brings is from the Barbaras, who are the best and keenest at hunting. The first time I saw this animal was in Maqdashuh. (15)
Vol1 p424
And in the hadeeth of the pilgrims: kill these alsuqafa' and walzarafata (9); do not take any of those sitting but hit the giraffe in his neck.
Ibn Duraid (4) said: The giraffe - including the letter Zai -: animal and I do not know if a true Arabic (word) or not?
He said: More chance I think it is Arab because the people of Yemen know it from the point of view of Habash. …...
It is called in Farsi: Starkaublnk (10): because it is similar to the camel, cattle and tiger.
Vol1 p441
And Al-Saif al-Tawail (=The long coast- literaly: the long sword): a very long coast as if it was cut by a sword. A distance of a hundred farsakhs, which is the coast of the Berber Sea next to Maqdoushouh. Al-Saghani, the author of this book, said: I saw him in the month of Ramadan in the year six hundred and nine (17)
Vol2 p16
wlakfu: some type from among the alzinji.
Taken from: Arabic English Lexicon By Edward William Lane
Abu Hancefeh al Danaware (5) (Book of Plants) describes it (the teak)…..the elephants are fond of it, and of the leaves of bananas both of which they eat: it is not of the trees that grow in the hind of the Arabs, nor does it grow in any country except those of India and the Zenj; nor does any tree grow so tall, nor any so big…
A slave having a buttock like the whirl of a spindle in shape for the buttocks of the Zenj are round.
Radi al-Din Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Saghani:
al-Shawarid fi al-lughah (the Rich Language) (d1252).
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Taken from: alwaraq.net
Z.t: a race of people, one Z.ti; such as Zinj and Zinjy (Negro), Rum (11) and Abyssinian,
And l.k.f: a race of Zinj
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Al-Saghani: al-Takmila wa'l-dhayl wa'l-sila
(Supplement to the book of the crown of the language ) (d1252) Baghdad
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Taken from: almaktaba.net التكملة والذيل والصلة للصغاني [الصغاني]
vol1 p44
Clove: the fruit of the shafah tree; a fruit like a black Zanji head
vol1 p445
Almzanj: a Zanj
vol2 p110
Al-Asma'i said: With the Zanj: its fat, with the Zanj is in their thighs.
vol2 p239-240
[ZBD] Zabad,:
Ibn Dureid (4) said: the bear from which the perfume is milked. I count it as an Arab, God willing. This is Ibn Duraid's (4) text.
Al-Saghani, the author of this book, said: The jurists spoke about this perfume, and they mentioned it in their books, and said: It is milked from an animal; and they were mistaken in its essence, and Ibn Duraid (4) was wrong in the explaining of an animal "Zubadh", and right about "Civet": The name is good, but it is not milk from an animal, rather, it is a filth that meets under her guilt at the way out, the keeper shall take hold of this animal and prevent disorder, and the dirt shall be gathered together with a plaque in a pot, it is an animal larger than a large squirrel, a whisk, and I have seen it at Muqadash (2), it is said to be: al Zabad and al Zabadi.
vol2 p498
And the green one (Al Khadra): the horse of Uday ibn Jiblah bin Arki bin Hanjood. And also the green island (6), Andalus; and also the land of Zeng.
vol3 p176
Bilad Qamar (Madagascar): a place behind the land of Zinj
vol3 p434
Manbastu (Mombasa), big city land of the Zanj
vol4 p485
walzzaraffat walzzuraffatu (12); two words of this mixed animal, which is called: shatar kaw bilank.
vol4 p498
And Al-Saif al-Tawail (=The long coast- literaly: sword): a coast of the Barbary Sea.
vol4 p565
Ikfw (13): a race of the Zanj
vol5 p185-186
The banuku: is a water animal, like a dolphin. And it was said: It is a great fish that cuts a man in two halves in the water, then he swallows it. This is mentioned in the copies of the “al-Muheet”(16)
My hearing of this is from the year nine and six hundred (1213AD) to our year, which is the year of thirty-nine and six hundred (1242AD), I have seen this fish at Makdahuh (2), has cut off the swimmer, and swallowed half, and the other half remained above the water, the people of the country went after the fish; they captured it, and found the other half of the diver in the stomach.
vol5 p267
Ibn al-'Arabi said:
If you dance, dance like the Zanj. (14)
vol6 p41
(Ta)Rim: Two places,
one: in the Arab countries, and the other: near Makdosh (2)
vol6 p47
He said: The Zabad (civet cat) is seven times greater than a squirrel in India.Al-Saghani said - the author of this book: Ibn Durayd (4) confirmed what he described, except for his saying: It shall be in India, for it shall be in Abyssinia. Al Barbarat Barbera, al-Zanj, and I saw him in Maqdashuh (2).
vol6 p502
Kilwat (Kilwa): a country in the land of the Zanj.
vol6 p520
And Naja (7) close to Mogadishu (2): that is a country on the coast of the Zeng Sea.
Note: this is the translation
found in the Dehkhoda Dictionary.
نجا. نجا. [ ن ُ ] (اِخ ) شهری به ساحل بحرالزنج (دریای زنگبار) نزدیک مرکه و مقدشوه
vol6 p530
And Bandar Musa (8) (on N coast Socotra): On the Indian Sea in the area of the Barbar.
(1) Civet: Note: other works mentioning the civet from Africa are (see my webpage:) Al-Jahiz Al-Fakhar al-Sudan (869); Shah Mardan Ibn Abi al-Khayr (11th); Yakut al Hamawi (1220); Nur al-ma'arif (1295); al-Watwat (1318); Ibn Battuta and the African Diaspora (1331); Joseph ibn Abraham (1137); Al-Saghani (1252); Nur al-ma'arif (1295); Friar Jordanus; (1329); Cowar el-aqalim (1347); From the Court of Al-Zahir (1439); Ibn al-Ahdal (1451); Ibn Madjid: As-Sufaliyya (1470); Ibn al-Dayba (1496);
(2) Muqdashuh: Mogadishu in Somalia. (Ta)Rim: Gezira = Jazeera and the two Xariim islands to the south of
Mogadishu. Also mentioned by Al Firuzabadi (1414). Al Saghani visited Mogadishu he is an important eyewitness. Roman Loimeier in Muslim Societies in Africa says: The thirteenth century saw the first large wave of immigrants from
Hadramawt to the East African Coast, and from this time onward Hadrami migrants came to represent a major immigrant group in many settlements. In particular, families of sharifian descent from
Tarim and Shibam established trade interests and even took power in Kilwa around 1300.
(3) Ibn Abbad: see my webpage al-Sahib ibn Abbad (d995); the author of al-Muhit
(4) Ibn Duraid: see my webpage Ibn Durayd (837-933)
(5) Abu Hancefeh al Danaware: see my webpage Abu Hanifa al Dinawari (895)
(6) And the green one: the green island in the land of the Zanj is Pemba.
(7) Naja: maybe the el-Nedja of Idrisi (1150).
(8) Bandar Musa: mentioned also by Ibn Al Mujawir (1232) and Ibn Madjid (1470)
(9) other names for giraffe.
(10) Other versions: ushtur gaw yalank (palank); shutur-gaw-palank; ustar-gaw-palang; ushturgavpalang; ushtur or shutur-gdw-palank; ushtur kaw-balank; ushtur-gdv-palang ………………
The more used form to write it is: Usturgawpalang: persian name for giraffee; camel-ox-leopard (ustur-gaw-palang). The animal that looks like the cross of these three animals. Palang means: a leopard, a panther a giraffe, a hyena; anything of a motley colour. Ushtur: a camel [two-humped], gaw: cow, ox or bull. This Persian name is repeated among many others: Ibn al-Fakih al Hamadhani (903); Musa Ud-Damiri (d1405); Zad Sparam (9th); Ibn Bakhtishu (1295); Al-Raghib al-Isfahani (1109); Hassan Bar Bahlul (10th); Mohammad ebn Mahmud ebn Ahmad Tusi (1160); Jahiz's Kitab al-Hayawan (869); Tha'alibi (d1038); Ibn Manzur (1290); Al-Saghani (1252); Ibrahim Ibn Wasif Shah al Misri (d1209); Ibn Qutayba (880); Ibn Abd Rabbih (940).
(11) Rome
(12) other names for giraffe.
(13) This is also found in:
-Sahib Ibn Abbad: (995): A Tale of Al Jahiz in which: Zinj of two kinds, one called lkfw and the other lytw
-Jahiz (869) repeated it in two books: Kitab al Hayawan and Al-Fakhar al-Sudan.
the tribes of Zinj are of two types: the ants and the dogs, this tribe are the dogs, and that tribe are the ants,
-Al-Dimashqi (1325): they are divided in two tribes, the Qabliet and the Kendjewiat, the first name means ants, the second dogs.
-Suyuti (1505): As for Zinj, two classes Kabila and Katajwia.
- Al-Saghani (1252) Ikfw
(14) no precise identification of Ibn al Arabi is found. But this phrase of him is repeated by Ibn Mansur 1290; Al-Azhari 981; Al-Saghani 1252.
(15) in the Taj al-arus of al-Zabidi (d1790) is added: in the Barbara language, bansah, and the meaning of “all of them is withering” means “the black ones.”
(16) see my webpage on Al Firuzabadi: Qamus al Muhit (The Ocean) (d1414) Persia. This must have been a later addition.
(17) 609AH =1212-1213AD