Ma’din al-nawadir fi ma’rifat al jawahir
(Anecdotes on minerals)
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Taken from: Yemen Update: Bulletin of the American Institute for Yemeni Studies, Issue 41
Book of Gifts and Rarities by Ahmad ibn al Rashid ibn al-Zubayr.
Al-Bayhaqi Ala ibn al Husayn ibn Ali: Ma’din al Nawadir fi Ma’rifat al Jawahir. Editor Muhammad Isa Salihiyyah 1985 (page numbers taken from this book).
P45
The best type of gold was which was found to be malleable and had a reddish color like fire.
P52
The main sources of rubies were India and mountains of Ceylon, in which places all the different varieties including the best types were to be found.
Some rubies were found in Madagascar and East Africa.
P78
The Khatu,, the horn of the rhinoceros, was in the Turkish lands of Central Asia prized for its property of detecting poisoned food because it was supposed to sweat placed close to anything poisoned.
P111
The most valued types of coral were the dark red, the black, and the white varieties.