With Yemen currently closed to scholars this is a timely publication of adab 2272, a partially illustrated early eighteenth century copy of Ḥarīrī’s well-known late-eleventh century or early-twelfth century compilation of stories known as the Maqāmāt or ‘Assemblies’. The illustrated section was commissioned in 1709 by the merchant ʿĪmad al-Dīn Yaḥya bin ʿAbd al-Raḥman al-ʿAjal in Sanaʿā. This manuscript is now housed in the Dār al-Makhtutāt, adjacent to the Great Mosque of Sanaʿā. Yemeni scholar ʿAbd Allāh ʿAbd al-Salām Ṣāliḥ Ḥaddād published an Arabic commentary in the Annals of the Arts and Social Sciences, University of Kuwait in 2008, but there does not appear to be a copy publically available in the UK. In addition to this English language publication, Shirley Guthrie has generously made her images of the manuscript available through Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/137606718@N07/albums/72157687552934700), so the reader can have a sneak preview of the illustrations at the click of a mouse. It is a shame she did not include an image of the binding, however crude she judged it to be, and, as she concluded that it must have been the work of an apprentice, it indicates that she judged it to be mediocre; neither did she include a photograph of the first chapter heading. However, the physical make-up of adab 2272 is well described after the Introduction; being relatively small (29 × 19 cm). Guthrie surmises that it must have been copied for personal use, which explains its lack of defacement as compared with St Petersburg (Ms C23, IOM) and two Istanbul (EE2916) versions of the Maqāmāt wherein “the faces and heads of all living things were obliterated and the defacement of features and the striking through in black ink rendered people, birds and animals theologically ‘dead’” (p. 39). However, given that the manuscript is a marriage of three different versions, with three different types of paper used in its 238 folios – the illustrated section up to folio 66 having ‘good quality white polished paper’; folio 67 through to folio 91, salmon pink paper; and folio 92 to the end, blueish paper – with only the first section illustrated it is difficult to draw any conclusions on such a ‘marriage’. As Doris Behrens-Abouseif reveals in a forthcoming publication, in the medieval period books were currency and a complete manuscript, despite such inconsistencies, would have a far greater value than an incomplete one! Guthrie's focus is on the 24 remaining illustrations (including the Frontispiece and the prefatory prayer), their position in the text and comparisons are made between these, the five well-known earlier manuscripts and the sixteenth/seventeenth-century one now in the John Rylands Library, Manchester, Ms Arab 680 [677], published by the late David James.Footnote ¹

These illustrate al-Ḥarīrī’s first 14 tales and unlike all the earlier versions only the fifth tale, that of al-Kūfah, is given an architectural setting. Fittingly, a multi-storey Yemeni house is portrayed, with the protagonist, Abū Zayd, outside knocking on the door. That of the first tale in Sanaʿā is framed by a tree and is identified by Guthrie as being drawn in a fourteenth-century Mamluk style and overpainted at a later stage. It is difficult to fully comprehend this group – there appears to be a horse's hindquarters protruding out beyond the right hand margin which she ignores, despite describing everything else in great detail.

Each image in turn is analysed and explained, providing a useful student-level text. Arabic translations for relevant words in the text are placed in brackets and most of them are repeated in a Glossary at the end of the book. The alphabetical order for this is a little confusing in as much each entry is placed according to the Roman system, but within each letter heading the Arabic one is partially in use, with the result that there is seemingly no system, at best a muddle. All this could have been ironed out very quickly by an experienced editor. The text includes endnotes, an index and bibliography, a necessary and useful adjunct.

However, within the text there are several inconsistencies, for example: describing the second image for the Sanaʿā maqāmā on p. 49 Guthrie describes the “ruler at ease”, with “glass drinking vessels”, and on p. 51 still referring to the same image, Abu Zayd “holds a delicate metallic drinking vessel”. She is also on shaky ground when describing Yemeni habits, for example, qat chewing and its effects. On p. 66 she reports that it caused “a delightful state of wakefulness”, whereas in the Glossary it is defined as “chewed leaves of plant producing a soporific effect”. Those familiar with this practice know that during the course of a chewing session the participants pass through a silent phase, commonly referred to as waqt al-Sulayman – translated as ‘Solomon's hour’ – when deep thoughts occur. This is followed by hours of wakefulness, lively discussion and much hilarity – a time when much of the day's business is transacted. It is easy to imagine Abu Zayd and his entourage enjoying such a session.

These small foibles should not detract from Shirley Guthrie's achievement in presenting this manuscript in a simple format, with an entertaining and informative commentary, comparisons with the earlier editions and the added bonus of being able to study the images digitally. Through Abu Zayd's travels the reader is privy to life in medieval Arabia and Guthrie's commentary sheds considerable light on daily practices. With our inability to travel to Yemen in the foreseeable future, she has brought a fascinating manuscript to light. It is a splendid addition to the Maqāmāt corpus.