minium (saylaqūn)
Yemen
13th Century
Source: Fani, G. (2021). Literary Dimension and Life of Arabic Treatises on Ink Making. In Brill Series on Islamic Ink and Calligraphy.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
minium (saylaqūn), borax (bauraq), gum arabic (ṣamġ), solution of gall-nut (mā' al-ʿafṣ)
Preparation Steps
The recipe (MM II.18) for pink ink requires taking one ūqiyya of minium (saylaqūn) and crushing it on a slab of stone. To this, the weight of one dirham of borax and two dirhams of gum arabic are added. The mixture is then kneaded until it becomes fine while being soaked with a solution of gall-nut (mā' al-ʿafṣ). Once prepared, it is ready for writing. (p. 117-118)
Original Recipe Text
The recipe (MM II.18) for pink ink requires taking one ūqiyya of minium (saylaqūn) and crushing it on a slab of stone. To this, the weight of one dirham of borax and two dirhams of gum arabic are added. The mixture is then kneaded until it becomes fine while being soaked with a solution of gall-nut (mā' al-ʿafṣ). Once prepared, it is ready for writing. (p. 117-118)
Evidence
"Title (MM II.18) Description of a pink ink... Ingredient I minium... Operation I (verb) and is crushed Specification of place on a slab of stone Operation II (verb) and it is added Specification of quantity (II) the weight of a dirham Ingredient II of borax... Ingredient III of gum arabic... Ingredient IV with a solution of gall-nut."
Remarks
This recipe is extracted from the treatise of the Rasulid sultan al-Malik al-Muẓaffar Yūsuf al-Ġassānī (d. 694/1294). The author uses this specific recipe to illustrate the scanty and repetitive syntactical scheme of technical manuals, including definition, ingredients, quantity, procedural phases, and final result. (p. 117-118)
Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionPb3O4
Certainty Level
Inferred
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
ink
BinderAcacia gum
ColorPink
RegionYemen
Approx. Year1250
Source Information
AuthorFani, G.
CollectionYemeni treatise Al-muḫtaraʿ fī funūn min al-ṣunaʿ
Language
N/A
AI Suggestions
Find similar recipes based on ingredients and preparation methods.