Left first page of the printed edition

Ali ibn Abd Allah al Ghazuli; Matali al-budur;

(Insiders in the houses of pleasure)(d1412) Damascus

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Al-Ghuzuli, Ala Al Din Ali ibn Abd Allah Al Baha’i Al Dimashki, an Arabic writer of Turkish origin who had been purchased, raised, and educated in Damascus (d.1412AD) (the mention of berber origin is not correct) who composed, under the title Matali’ al-budur fi manazil al-surur, an anthology on the model of the adab books which deals with the house and its different sections, all the pleasures of life and sport and the accessories required for their realization. What he writes about East Africa is copied from older sources.

 

Taken from: http://www.madinahnet.com/books36/مطالع-البدور-ومنازل-السرور-صفحة282

Taken from: مطالع البدور ومنازل السرور by الغزولي  www.alwaraq.net

 

P179

The Nile is contrary to every river on the face of the earth, because it increases when others decreases and decreases when others increases because this is how Allah provided. As to the origin of the Nile, some people followed his course and went up to the mountain of snow, which is at Mount Saph and it runs through the Green Sea (1) with the power of Allah almighty. And it passes over metals, gold, rubies and emeralds, coral …….. They said: Had it not been entered in the salty sea and mixes with it we could not drink (its water because of) the intensity of its sweetness ......... ..... …………………….. and it is said that the beginning is at Mount Moon and it stems from twelve springs and the reason for the increase and decrease, is only known to Allah.

 

P282

Giraffe

About the giraffe: giraffe in the words play with the group because it met the many qualities of the animal which is the neck of the camel and leopard skin and horn antelope teeth cow and the head of the camel is why some of the speakers in the natures of the animal allegedly generated from the animals and said: The beasts are meeting in the hottest extreme heat on the murky water where animals impregnate other animals of different varieties even many males on the females and create different images, colors and shapes, and the Persians called giraffe: astar kawylik fatawyl aistar bier wakaw baqaratan wylyk alsbgh (2); and this is also good for the Arabs to talk of being a composite of creation of various animals .
 And Jahiz do not like this word and say that it is not correct it does not come from a collection because God creates what He wills, a type of animal that exists by itself such as horses and donkeys, which yields so that it generates like it has been seen with long front legs very long neck to be in a total of ten arms ……

(1) Green Sea: the surrounding ocean.

(2) astar kawylik fatawyl aistar bier wakaw baqaratan wylyk alsbgh

Astar and aistar =Ushtur: camel

Kawylik and wakaw =gaw: cow in persian

Baqaratan = baqara; cow in Arab