Bazyar al-Aziz al-Fatimi

Bazyar al-Aziz al-Fatimi (d. c. 383 AH / 993 CE) was a fourth-century AH Egyptian master falconer and court specialist at the Fatimid court, best known for composing Kitab al-Bayzara (The Book of Falconry) Mujam Tarikh al-Turath al…+1.

Identity and Early Life

The author's full personal name is generally omitted in the manuscript tradition, leaving him known primarily by his functional title as the chief falconer (bazyar) to the Fatimid Caliph al-Aziz bi-Allah Majallat al-Muqtabas+1. Several bibliographical sources identify him conjecturally as Abu Abd Allah al-Hasan ibn al-Husayn Ashaer al-Iraq+1. In autobiographical remarks in his treatise, he recounts that he came under the patronage of al-Aziz bi-Allah as a boy of eleven years old, at a time when he owned less than ten dirhams and possessed only basic attire Majallat al-Risala+1.

Career at the Fatimid Court

Al-Aziz bi-Allah took personal charge of his upbringing and training in the craft of handling birds of prey Majallat al-Risala. Demonstrating exceptional skill, he advanced through the ranks to become the head of the caliphal falconers (muqaddam al-bayazira), and his patron rewarded him with an estate (iqta') valued at twenty thousand dinars al-Masalik wa al-Mamalik …+1.

He managed the caliph's vast menagerie of raptors, recording that on a single occasion one hundred falcons arrived in one night from various eastern and western regions for the caliph's aviaries, all placed under his supervision for training and medical care Majallat al-Risala. His writings reflect an ardent Shi'i loyalty to the Fatimid dynasty, consistently invoking prayers of blessing upon al-Aziz bi-Allah whenever mentioning his name Fusul fi al-Thaqafa wa al…+1.

Scholarly Contribution

After practicing the craft of hunting and falconry for twenty years, he composed Kitab al-Bayzara for al-Aziz bi-Allah, establishing one of the classical Arabic references on falconry, raptor physiognomy, training methods, and avian veterinary medicine Majallat al-Risala+1. In it, he documented established techniques drawn from earlier Arab, Persian, Greek, and Roman authorities, alongside his own practical innovations, including a specialized method for hunting waterbirds by moonlight using falcons and sparrowhawks, which he claimed no prior author had recorded al-Bayzara+1. The text was edited from a rare manuscript by Muhammad Kurd Ali and published in Damascus in 1372 AH / 1953 CE Ashaer al-Iraq+1.