Untitled

128 f
' NOTES
ON THE THIRD DISCOURSE
(Khiva) 1 on Dhu'l-Hijja 3, A.V. 362 (Sept. 4, A.D. 973), and died (probably
at Ghazna) on Rajab 2, A. ft. 440 (Dec. 1 1, A.D. 104$) at the age of 77 lunar
years and 7 months. He was one of the greatest men of science produced
k>y Persia, and in him, as Dr Sachau says, A there is much of the modern
spirit and method of critical research," in which respect "he is a phenomenon
in the history of Eastern learning, a*nd literature." As a writer
his industry equalled his learning.
had reached the age of 65 lunar
In A.H. 427 (A.D. 1035-6),
(63 solar) years, he drew up for a
correspondent a list of his writings, which has been fortunately preserved
to us, and of which the original Arabic text is included by Sachau in
the Gerrpan Introduction to his edition of al-Athdru?l-Bdqiya (pp. xxxviii-
(
when he
xlix). This list comprises over a hundred works, arranged in 13 classes
as follows : >.
,.
I. Geometry, Astronomy, etc. ... 18 works
II. Geography ... < 15
III Arithmetic 8 ,
IV. Light 4
V. The Astrolabe ... ... ... 5
VI. Times and Seasons ... ... 5 ,
VII. Comets... ... ... ... 5 ,,
VIII. Stations of the Moon ... ... 12
IX. Astrology 7 ,,
X. Persian and other tales ... 13
XL Religion ... ... ... 6
XII. Books of which the author re-
tained no copy ... ... 5
XIII. Unfinished books ... ... 10
Total: "113
He also enumerates 25 other works written by three other men of
learning and ascribed to him, viz. 12 by Abil Nasr Mansdr ibn 'Ali ibn
'Arraq; 12 by Abu Sahl 'fsa ibn Yahya al-Masihi; and one by Abii 'Ali
al-Hasan ibn 'Ali al-Jili. Further, Hajji Khalifa enumerates 15 more of
al-Biriini's works not appearing in the above list, though some of them
are no doubt included in it under slightly different titles, while others
^re probably wrongly ascribed to our author. In., Europe he is ch'iefly
known by his "Chronology of Ancient Nations ", (al-AthdruU-Bdqiya
'-ani'l-Qurunfl-Khdliya) and his work on India, editions and translations
of both of which we owe to the learning and industry of Dr< Edward
Sachau. The former, unfortunately, presents many serious lacunae:
"Many most essential 2
parts," says Dr Sachau , "Jboth., large and small,
are missing, e.g. the chapter on Zoroaster, a most deplorable loss, arising
probably from Muslim bigotry." On Nov. 12,^1912, however, I received
a letter from my colleague Professor Bevan in which he wrote:*-"! have
just received from Salemann in St Petersburg
an article which he has
1 Mirza Muhammad points out to me that the original capital city of Kkwarazm
wds Kath on the eastern bank of the Oxus. Later (and probably already
in al-Biriini's
time) its place .was taken by Urganj or Gurganj (called in Arabic Jurjaniyya) on the
western bank. t The modern city of Khiva is situated some distance to the soitth-west
of the older Urganj.
2 Preface tp the English translation, p. xiii.