This paper aims to present a version of the poem Edirne by Maʿrūf ar-Ruṣāfī preserved in the Cont... more This paper aims to present a version of the poem Edirne by Maʿrūf ar-Ruṣāfī preserved in the Conti Rossini Archive at the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and to compare it with the copies in the collections of Muṣṭafā aṣ-Ṣaqqā, Muṣṭafā ʿAlī and Muṣṭafā al-Ġalāyīnī. The poem was composed on the occasion of the siege and capture of Edirne (formerly known as Adrianople) by the Bulgarian Army (1912-1913) and its themes are war, occupation and ḥamāsah (lit. “valour”). The qaṣīdah in the Conti Rossini Archive, found inside an envelope with other material from Tripolitania, bears in Italian the title “Per la caduta di Adrianopoli” (“For the Fall of Adrianople”) and was most likely copied by Conti Rossini himself. The poem is composed of thirty-seven lines, each of which is divided into two hemistichs; the first verse consists of two lines, while the following seven verses consist of five lines each. The present work will focus on the literary aspects of the poem, providing a translation of the text and a description of its salient features, function and meaning.
KERVAN. International Journal of Afro-Asiatic Studies., 2023
This paper aims to present an unedited original autograph letter by the orientalist Eugenio Griff... more This paper aims to present an unedited original autograph letter by the orientalist Eugenio Griffini preserved in the Angela Codazzi Collection at the Central Municipal Library in Milan, known as Sormani Library. The letter, dated January 5, 1922, was written by Eugenio Griffini during his stay in Egypt as librarian and archivist at the court of King Aḥmad Fuʾād I and was addressed to Angela Codazzi. The study focuses on the translation of the text of the letter from Arabic into Italian and on the analysis of some of the most significant terms and expressions contained therein.
Journal of Semitic Studies, Oxford University Press, 2023
This article presents the edito princeps of a formerly unpublished incantation bowl written in Je... more This article presents the edito princeps of a formerly unpublished incantation bowl written in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. The text consists of fifteen lines and is devoted to protecting the client, his wife and his daughter against the curses of enemies and opponents. The bowl is a gift of Mr. Ismā'īl Nāyf and is part of a collection housed in the Iraq Museum (IM 77781).
The Iraq Museum houses hundreds of terracotta incantation bowls inscribed in Literary Eastern Ar... more The Iraq Museum houses hundreds of terracotta incantation bowls inscribed in Literary Eastern Ar-amaic. This paper presents an unedited incantation bowl written in Aramaic characters with central Jewish Biblical quotations, recorded under the number IM 76752, which was donated to the Iraq Museum by Mr. Suhayl Ṣāliḥ Kreydī.
This short essay aims to investigate the etymological paths of the
terms carafe and cotton, focus... more This short essay aims to investigate the etymological paths of the terms carafe and cotton, focusing on the Arabic roots and their adequate correspondents in the Semitic context. After analyzing the Arabic loan into Italian for both words, I will shed light on the lemmas in Arabic language, also citing some dialect varieties, giving some examples. I will undertake a linguistic comparative research, examining in particular Syriac, Aramaic, Mandaic, Hebrew and Akkadian, in order to find out if these two Arabic terms can be considered a lexical borrowing from another Semitic language.
Si presenta un’inedita ketubbah (pl. ketubboṯ) - “atto di matrimonio giudaico” - redatta in Yemen... more Si presenta un’inedita ketubbah (pl. ketubboṯ) - “atto di matrimonio giudaico” - redatta in Yemen nel giorno 8 del mese Elul dell’anno ebraico 2243 “Era dei Documenti”, corrispondente al 9 settembre 1932 d.C. L’atto è vergato in una grafia semicorsiva sefardita ed è composto da parti in aramaico, ebraico e giudeo-arabo. Di fatto, è un contratto con cui il marito si impegna a corrispondere alla moglie una determinata somma di denaro in caso di morte o divorzio, oltre agli alimenti e al mantenimento. Il documento denota la fedele applicazione da parte della comunità ebraica dello Yemen di tutte le norme legali, degli usi e delle consuetudini dell’istituto del matrimonio, tramandati nel corso dei secoli attraverso la Torah.
Italian libraries and museums house a large number of Arab and Islamic manuscripts, but only a fe... more Italian libraries and museums house a large number of Arab and Islamic manuscripts, but only a few of them have Ibāḍī collections.
The central municipal library Biblioteca Sormani, located in Milan, retains a group of Ibāḍī Islam manuscripts, known as Griffini. I have selected, among the others, a poem written by ‘Alī b. al-Ḥāǧǧ Ibrāhīm Muḥammad al-Nalūtī, whose script I have studied, focusing on the vocalization. I have analyzed each verse, deciphering as much as possible and providing a commentary. This poem is composed of thirty-eight verses, mostly about ḥamāsah (war poetry) and madīḥ (praise) and is written in semi-classical Arabic. The introductory verse is composed in al-raǧaz metre: mustafʿilun mustafʿilun mustafʿilun.
Keywords: Ibāḍī Islam manuscript, al-Nalūtī, Griffini, Biblioteca Sormani, al-Barūnī.
“The Second Annual International Conference to Conserve and Revive the Handwritten Heritage” (pp.... more “The Second Annual International Conference to Conserve and Revive the Handwritten Heritage” (pp.243-283).
Abstract.
Questo articolo rappresenta un tentativo di studio del percorso storico ed etimologico ... more Abstract. Questo articolo rappresenta un tentativo di studio del percorso storico ed etimologico della parola quffa nella lingua araba e la sua relazione con la lessicografia e l’evoluzione semantica in altre lingue semitiche. L’etimologia del vocabolo arabo quffa derivante dalla radice semitica √QFF portatrice dei significati “appassire, contrarsi, corrugarsi” non è condivisa da tutti. Sebbene la visione prevalente testimoni l’origine semitica del vocabolo quffa, troviamo alcuni studiosi che propongono un’etimologia di origine aramaica, mentre altri la interpretano come una parola presa in prestito dall’accadico quppu/kuppu 𒄣𒌒𒁍 “cesta di vimini o cesta di legno”, “gabbia”, “scatola per l’argento e per gli oggetti preziosi”. Io ritengo che il termine usato in arabo, quffa e guffa nelle sue due varianti lessicali, sia stato alla fine adottato dall’accadico quppu attraverso l’aramaico, un vocabolo con un’etimologia semitica consolidata. In altre parole, la parola araba quffa non fu presa in prestito direttamente dall’accadico, ma solo indirettamente attraverso l’aramaico, lingua parlata in Mesopotamia prima dell’arrivo dei greci indoeuropei.
As a cultural and religious phenomenon, blessing or healing bowls were produced in the Islamic wo... more As a cultural and religious phenomenon, blessing or healing bowls were produced in the Islamic world in considerable quantity from at least the twelfth century. In origin they were related in some aspects to pre-Islamic Aramaic magic bowls, even though there are in fact great differences in design and function (Naveh & Shaked, 1985). The latter ones were made of clay, while the Islamic were of metal.
Some amulets have clear references to Twelve Šiʿism which, during the Safavid period (1501-1722), became the official religion of Iran. The specific Šīʿī vocabulary on amulets (and indeed coins, seals and others objects) consists of the names of the “Five Pure” ones (Muḥammad, his son-in-law ʿAlī, his daughter Fāṭima and his grandsons al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn), as well as the Twelve Imāms. Sometimes the texts bear also the attributes of the Twelve Imāms, who with the addition of Fāṭima and Muḥammad are considered the Fourteen Immaculate Ones. Moreover, these inscriptions are complemented by Qur’ānic verses. Particularly favoured are the last two Sūrah, the al-sūratānī al-Muʿawwiḏatān or the verse Āyat al-Kursī with a prophylactic effect against the demons.
This paper focuses on the reading of the text and on the analysis of the engraving script style. The text is written in Arabic, with a few optative or benedictive sentences written in Persian language. It is apparent that this bowl is written in a Persian ductus by an expert Persian engraver in Iran.
The Arabic incantation bowl practice is part of a long-standing tradition of incantation in the N... more The Arabic incantation bowl practice is part of a long-standing tradition of incantation in the Near East. It is a legacy inherited from Assyrian, Babylonian, and it is closely related to the rich literature of magic spells and incantation in Greek areas. This work aims to analyse the text of an unedited Arabic incantation bowl that dates back to the Mamlūk period and is dedicated to the Sulṭān al-Malik al-Manṣūr Ḥusām al-Dīn Lāǧīn al-Manṣūrī.
Cura e traduzione dall’italiano in arabo dell’articolo “Cinema e Institution Building” di Massimi... more Cura e traduzione dall’italiano in arabo dell’articolo “Cinema e Institution Building” di Massimiliano Gaudiosi, in al-Kufa Journal for law and political sciences edito da College of Law - Kufa University, Al-Najaf.
This paper aims to present a version of the poem Edirne by Maʿrūf ar-Ruṣāfī preserved in the Cont... more This paper aims to present a version of the poem Edirne by Maʿrūf ar-Ruṣāfī preserved in the Conti Rossini Archive at the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and to compare it with the copies in the collections of Muṣṭafā aṣ-Ṣaqqā, Muṣṭafā ʿAlī and Muṣṭafā al-Ġalāyīnī. The poem was composed on the occasion of the siege and capture of Edirne (formerly known as Adrianople) by the Bulgarian Army (1912-1913) and its themes are war, occupation and ḥamāsah (lit. “valour”). The qaṣīdah in the Conti Rossini Archive, found inside an envelope with other material from Tripolitania, bears in Italian the title “Per la caduta di Adrianopoli” (“For the Fall of Adrianople”) and was most likely copied by Conti Rossini himself. The poem is composed of thirty-seven lines, each of which is divided into two hemistichs; the first verse consists of two lines, while the following seven verses consist of five lines each. The present work will focus on the literary aspects of the poem, providing a translation of the text and a description of its salient features, function and meaning.
KERVAN. International Journal of Afro-Asiatic Studies., 2023
This paper aims to present an unedited original autograph letter by the orientalist Eugenio Griff... more This paper aims to present an unedited original autograph letter by the orientalist Eugenio Griffini preserved in the Angela Codazzi Collection at the Central Municipal Library in Milan, known as Sormani Library. The letter, dated January 5, 1922, was written by Eugenio Griffini during his stay in Egypt as librarian and archivist at the court of King Aḥmad Fuʾād I and was addressed to Angela Codazzi. The study focuses on the translation of the text of the letter from Arabic into Italian and on the analysis of some of the most significant terms and expressions contained therein.
Journal of Semitic Studies, Oxford University Press, 2023
This article presents the edito princeps of a formerly unpublished incantation bowl written in Je... more This article presents the edito princeps of a formerly unpublished incantation bowl written in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. The text consists of fifteen lines and is devoted to protecting the client, his wife and his daughter against the curses of enemies and opponents. The bowl is a gift of Mr. Ismā'īl Nāyf and is part of a collection housed in the Iraq Museum (IM 77781).
The Iraq Museum houses hundreds of terracotta incantation bowls inscribed in Literary Eastern Ar... more The Iraq Museum houses hundreds of terracotta incantation bowls inscribed in Literary Eastern Ar-amaic. This paper presents an unedited incantation bowl written in Aramaic characters with central Jewish Biblical quotations, recorded under the number IM 76752, which was donated to the Iraq Museum by Mr. Suhayl Ṣāliḥ Kreydī.
This short essay aims to investigate the etymological paths of the
terms carafe and cotton, focus... more This short essay aims to investigate the etymological paths of the terms carafe and cotton, focusing on the Arabic roots and their adequate correspondents in the Semitic context. After analyzing the Arabic loan into Italian for both words, I will shed light on the lemmas in Arabic language, also citing some dialect varieties, giving some examples. I will undertake a linguistic comparative research, examining in particular Syriac, Aramaic, Mandaic, Hebrew and Akkadian, in order to find out if these two Arabic terms can be considered a lexical borrowing from another Semitic language.
Si presenta un’inedita ketubbah (pl. ketubboṯ) - “atto di matrimonio giudaico” - redatta in Yemen... more Si presenta un’inedita ketubbah (pl. ketubboṯ) - “atto di matrimonio giudaico” - redatta in Yemen nel giorno 8 del mese Elul dell’anno ebraico 2243 “Era dei Documenti”, corrispondente al 9 settembre 1932 d.C. L’atto è vergato in una grafia semicorsiva sefardita ed è composto da parti in aramaico, ebraico e giudeo-arabo. Di fatto, è un contratto con cui il marito si impegna a corrispondere alla moglie una determinata somma di denaro in caso di morte o divorzio, oltre agli alimenti e al mantenimento. Il documento denota la fedele applicazione da parte della comunità ebraica dello Yemen di tutte le norme legali, degli usi e delle consuetudini dell’istituto del matrimonio, tramandati nel corso dei secoli attraverso la Torah.
Italian libraries and museums house a large number of Arab and Islamic manuscripts, but only a fe... more Italian libraries and museums house a large number of Arab and Islamic manuscripts, but only a few of them have Ibāḍī collections.
The central municipal library Biblioteca Sormani, located in Milan, retains a group of Ibāḍī Islam manuscripts, known as Griffini. I have selected, among the others, a poem written by ‘Alī b. al-Ḥāǧǧ Ibrāhīm Muḥammad al-Nalūtī, whose script I have studied, focusing on the vocalization. I have analyzed each verse, deciphering as much as possible and providing a commentary. This poem is composed of thirty-eight verses, mostly about ḥamāsah (war poetry) and madīḥ (praise) and is written in semi-classical Arabic. The introductory verse is composed in al-raǧaz metre: mustafʿilun mustafʿilun mustafʿilun.
Keywords: Ibāḍī Islam manuscript, al-Nalūtī, Griffini, Biblioteca Sormani, al-Barūnī.
“The Second Annual International Conference to Conserve and Revive the Handwritten Heritage” (pp.... more “The Second Annual International Conference to Conserve and Revive the Handwritten Heritage” (pp.243-283).
Abstract.
Questo articolo rappresenta un tentativo di studio del percorso storico ed etimologico ... more Abstract. Questo articolo rappresenta un tentativo di studio del percorso storico ed etimologico della parola quffa nella lingua araba e la sua relazione con la lessicografia e l’evoluzione semantica in altre lingue semitiche. L’etimologia del vocabolo arabo quffa derivante dalla radice semitica √QFF portatrice dei significati “appassire, contrarsi, corrugarsi” non è condivisa da tutti. Sebbene la visione prevalente testimoni l’origine semitica del vocabolo quffa, troviamo alcuni studiosi che propongono un’etimologia di origine aramaica, mentre altri la interpretano come una parola presa in prestito dall’accadico quppu/kuppu 𒄣𒌒𒁍 “cesta di vimini o cesta di legno”, “gabbia”, “scatola per l’argento e per gli oggetti preziosi”. Io ritengo che il termine usato in arabo, quffa e guffa nelle sue due varianti lessicali, sia stato alla fine adottato dall’accadico quppu attraverso l’aramaico, un vocabolo con un’etimologia semitica consolidata. In altre parole, la parola araba quffa non fu presa in prestito direttamente dall’accadico, ma solo indirettamente attraverso l’aramaico, lingua parlata in Mesopotamia prima dell’arrivo dei greci indoeuropei.
As a cultural and religious phenomenon, blessing or healing bowls were produced in the Islamic wo... more As a cultural and religious phenomenon, blessing or healing bowls were produced in the Islamic world in considerable quantity from at least the twelfth century. In origin they were related in some aspects to pre-Islamic Aramaic magic bowls, even though there are in fact great differences in design and function (Naveh & Shaked, 1985). The latter ones were made of clay, while the Islamic were of metal.
Some amulets have clear references to Twelve Šiʿism which, during the Safavid period (1501-1722), became the official religion of Iran. The specific Šīʿī vocabulary on amulets (and indeed coins, seals and others objects) consists of the names of the “Five Pure” ones (Muḥammad, his son-in-law ʿAlī, his daughter Fāṭima and his grandsons al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn), as well as the Twelve Imāms. Sometimes the texts bear also the attributes of the Twelve Imāms, who with the addition of Fāṭima and Muḥammad are considered the Fourteen Immaculate Ones. Moreover, these inscriptions are complemented by Qur’ānic verses. Particularly favoured are the last two Sūrah, the al-sūratānī al-Muʿawwiḏatān or the verse Āyat al-Kursī with a prophylactic effect against the demons.
This paper focuses on the reading of the text and on the analysis of the engraving script style. The text is written in Arabic, with a few optative or benedictive sentences written in Persian language. It is apparent that this bowl is written in a Persian ductus by an expert Persian engraver in Iran.
The Arabic incantation bowl practice is part of a long-standing tradition of incantation in the N... more The Arabic incantation bowl practice is part of a long-standing tradition of incantation in the Near East. It is a legacy inherited from Assyrian, Babylonian, and it is closely related to the rich literature of magic spells and incantation in Greek areas. This work aims to analyse the text of an unedited Arabic incantation bowl that dates back to the Mamlūk period and is dedicated to the Sulṭān al-Malik al-Manṣūr Ḥusām al-Dīn Lāǧīn al-Manṣūrī.
Cura e traduzione dall’italiano in arabo dell’articolo “Cinema e Institution Building” di Massimi... more Cura e traduzione dall’italiano in arabo dell’articolo “Cinema e Institution Building” di Massimiliano Gaudiosi, in al-Kufa Journal for law and political sciences edito da College of Law - Kufa University, Al-Najaf.
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Papers by Ali Faraj
terms carafe and cotton, focusing on the Arabic roots and their
adequate correspondents in the Semitic context.
After analyzing the Arabic loan into Italian for both words, I will
shed light on the lemmas in Arabic language, also citing some
dialect varieties, giving some examples.
I will undertake a linguistic comparative research, examining in
particular Syriac, Aramaic, Mandaic, Hebrew and Akkadian, in
order to find out if these two Arabic terms can be considered a
lexical borrowing from another Semitic language.
The central municipal library Biblioteca Sormani, located in Milan, retains a group of Ibāḍī Islam manuscripts, known as Griffini. I have selected, among the others, a poem written by ‘Alī b. al-Ḥāǧǧ Ibrāhīm Muḥammad al-Nalūtī, whose script I have studied, focusing on the vocalization. I have analyzed each verse, deciphering as much as possible and providing a commentary. This poem is composed of thirty-eight verses, mostly about ḥamāsah (war poetry) and madīḥ (praise) and is written in semi-classical Arabic. The introductory verse is composed in al-raǧaz metre: mustafʿilun mustafʿilun mustafʿilun.
Keywords: Ibāḍī Islam manuscript, al-Nalūtī, Griffini, Biblioteca Sormani, al-Barūnī.
Questo articolo rappresenta un tentativo di studio del percorso storico ed etimologico della parola quffa nella lingua araba e la sua relazione con la lessicografia e l’evoluzione semantica in altre lingue semitiche. L’etimologia del vocabolo arabo quffa derivante dalla radice semitica √QFF portatrice dei significati “appassire, contrarsi, corrugarsi” non è condivisa da tutti. Sebbene la visione prevalente testimoni l’origine semitica del vocabolo quffa, troviamo alcuni studiosi che propongono un’etimologia di origine aramaica, mentre altri la interpretano come una parola presa in prestito dall’accadico quppu/kuppu 𒄣𒌒𒁍 “cesta di vimini o cesta di legno”, “gabbia”, “scatola per l’argento e per gli oggetti preziosi”. Io ritengo che il termine usato in arabo, quffa e guffa nelle sue due varianti lessicali, sia stato alla fine adottato dall’accadico quppu attraverso l’aramaico, un vocabolo con un’etimologia semitica consolidata. In altre parole, la parola araba quffa non fu presa in prestito direttamente dall’accadico, ma solo indirettamente attraverso l’aramaico, lingua parlata in Mesopotamia prima dell’arrivo dei greci indoeuropei.
Some amulets have clear references to Twelve Šiʿism which, during the Safavid period (1501-1722), became the official religion of Iran. The specific Šīʿī vocabulary on amulets (and indeed coins, seals and others objects) consists of the names of the “Five Pure” ones (Muḥammad, his son-in-law ʿAlī, his daughter Fāṭima and his grandsons al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn), as well as the Twelve Imāms. Sometimes the texts bear also the attributes of the Twelve Imāms, who with the addition of Fāṭima and Muḥammad are considered the Fourteen Immaculate Ones. Moreover, these inscriptions are complemented by Qur’ānic verses. Particularly favoured are the last two Sūrah, the al-sūratānī al-Muʿawwiḏatān or the verse Āyat al-Kursī with a prophylactic effect against the demons.
This paper focuses on the reading of the text and on the analysis of the engraving script style. The text is written in Arabic, with a few optative or benedictive sentences written in Persian language. It is apparent that this bowl is written in a Persian ductus by an expert Persian engraver in Iran.
terms carafe and cotton, focusing on the Arabic roots and their
adequate correspondents in the Semitic context.
After analyzing the Arabic loan into Italian for both words, I will
shed light on the lemmas in Arabic language, also citing some
dialect varieties, giving some examples.
I will undertake a linguistic comparative research, examining in
particular Syriac, Aramaic, Mandaic, Hebrew and Akkadian, in
order to find out if these two Arabic terms can be considered a
lexical borrowing from another Semitic language.
The central municipal library Biblioteca Sormani, located in Milan, retains a group of Ibāḍī Islam manuscripts, known as Griffini. I have selected, among the others, a poem written by ‘Alī b. al-Ḥāǧǧ Ibrāhīm Muḥammad al-Nalūtī, whose script I have studied, focusing on the vocalization. I have analyzed each verse, deciphering as much as possible and providing a commentary. This poem is composed of thirty-eight verses, mostly about ḥamāsah (war poetry) and madīḥ (praise) and is written in semi-classical Arabic. The introductory verse is composed in al-raǧaz metre: mustafʿilun mustafʿilun mustafʿilun.
Keywords: Ibāḍī Islam manuscript, al-Nalūtī, Griffini, Biblioteca Sormani, al-Barūnī.
Questo articolo rappresenta un tentativo di studio del percorso storico ed etimologico della parola quffa nella lingua araba e la sua relazione con la lessicografia e l’evoluzione semantica in altre lingue semitiche. L’etimologia del vocabolo arabo quffa derivante dalla radice semitica √QFF portatrice dei significati “appassire, contrarsi, corrugarsi” non è condivisa da tutti. Sebbene la visione prevalente testimoni l’origine semitica del vocabolo quffa, troviamo alcuni studiosi che propongono un’etimologia di origine aramaica, mentre altri la interpretano come una parola presa in prestito dall’accadico quppu/kuppu 𒄣𒌒𒁍 “cesta di vimini o cesta di legno”, “gabbia”, “scatola per l’argento e per gli oggetti preziosi”. Io ritengo che il termine usato in arabo, quffa e guffa nelle sue due varianti lessicali, sia stato alla fine adottato dall’accadico quppu attraverso l’aramaico, un vocabolo con un’etimologia semitica consolidata. In altre parole, la parola araba quffa non fu presa in prestito direttamente dall’accadico, ma solo indirettamente attraverso l’aramaico, lingua parlata in Mesopotamia prima dell’arrivo dei greci indoeuropei.
Some amulets have clear references to Twelve Šiʿism which, during the Safavid period (1501-1722), became the official religion of Iran. The specific Šīʿī vocabulary on amulets (and indeed coins, seals and others objects) consists of the names of the “Five Pure” ones (Muḥammad, his son-in-law ʿAlī, his daughter Fāṭima and his grandsons al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn), as well as the Twelve Imāms. Sometimes the texts bear also the attributes of the Twelve Imāms, who with the addition of Fāṭima and Muḥammad are considered the Fourteen Immaculate Ones. Moreover, these inscriptions are complemented by Qur’ānic verses. Particularly favoured are the last two Sūrah, the al-sūratānī al-Muʿawwiḏatān or the verse Āyat al-Kursī with a prophylactic effect against the demons.
This paper focuses on the reading of the text and on the analysis of the engraving script style. The text is written in Arabic, with a few optative or benedictive sentences written in Persian language. It is apparent that this bowl is written in a Persian ductus by an expert Persian engraver in Iran.
https://en.unimib.it/events/arabic-language-origins-and-new-horizons