Mabahij al-Fikr wa Manahij al-Ibar
- Author died
- 718 AH
- Editions
- Mabahij al-Fikr wa Manahij al-Ibar
Mabahij al-Fikr wa Manahij al-Ibar (Delights of Thought and Paths of Reflection) is a four-volume encyclopedia composed by Jamal al-Din Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Yahya al-Ansari, known as al-Watwat (d. 718 AH / 1318 CE), encompassing cosmography, geography, zoology, and agriculture.
Content and Structure
The work is organized into overarching disciplines or "arts" (funūn), designed as a comprehensive reference of natural sciences, geography, and wonders of creation. Among its identified divisions are:
- Animal natures (fi al-taba'i' al-hayawaniyya): Constituting the third art (al-fann al-thalith), this part addresses the traits, behaviors, gestation, and descriptions of various beasts, birds, aquatic animals, and predators.
- Botany and agriculture (fi al-filahat al-nabatiyya): Constituting the fourth art (al-fann al-rabi'), divided into nine chapters (abwab), covering plant varieties, soil treatment, crops, and agronomic practices.
The work also contains extensive material on the dimensions of the inhabited world, mountains, unusual springs, and the lengths of major rivers, including the Nile and the Ganges. In manuscript collections, the work is sometimes recorded under the expanded title Mabahij al-Fikr wa Manahij al-Ibar fi Ibraz Wada'i' al-Fitra min Ihraz Bada'i' al-Suwar.
Sources and Methodology
Al-Watwat compiled his encyclopedia by excerpting classical and regional authorities across multiple disciplines. In agricultural and botanical matters, he cited works such as Ibn Bassal's treatise on Roman agriculture (al-Filaha al-Rumiyya), Abu al-Khayr al-Andalusi's Kitab al-Nabat—which al-Watwat remarked was exceptionally rare—along with the writings of Ibn Wahshiyya and treatises on Egyptian agriculture. In geographical and physical descriptions, he transmitted reports from Abu Zayd al-Balkhi, ancient philosophical texts ascribed to Aristotle, and specialized compilations on natural marvels (aja'ib).
Reception and Influence
The biographical writer Salah al-Din al-Safadi noted that al-Watwat composed the encyclopedia in four volumes, remarking that he "labored over it and spared no effort." Subsequent Mamluk-era compilers drew upon it as a source of geographical and natural historical data:
- Shihab al-Din al-Nuwayri cited it repeatedly in Nihayat al-Arab fi Funun al-Adab when describing geographical measurements, anomalous springs and rivers, and the natures of animals such as the lion, tiger, and camel.
- Shihab al-Din al-Ibsheihi relied on it in al-Mustatraf fi Kull Fann Mustazraf for geographical details concerning the length and course of the Nile.
- Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti quoted from it extensively in Husn al-Muhadarah fi Akhbar Misr wa-al-Qahirah.
Modern Editions
A portion of the work covering the geography of Egypt was edited and published by Abd al-Al Abd al-Mun'im al-Shami under the title Min Mabahij al-Fikr wa Manahij al-Ibar: Safahat min Jughrafiyat Misr (Kuwait, 1981).
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