منسوخات (Manuscripts)

Ingredients

خوص النخل (Palm fronds)

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The production of manuscripts (waraqa) in Najd, specifically for Abd al-Aziz bin Ibrahim bin Abd al-Latif (d. 1310 AH), involved the use of palm fronds (khus al-nakhl) as a fuel for fire. This was done to provide necessary lighting to enable the copyist to see clearly and maintain script precision during night copying (p. 264). This environment directly impacted the visual clarity of the text applied to the paper.

Evidence

"كان يستعين ببنتين له بالتناوب على إشعال النار في خوص النخل؛ للإضاءة له وتمكينه من النسخ بوضوح"

Remarks

The document provides a detailed sociological and historical account of the manuscript industry (waraqa) in Najd. It identifies a distinct class of copyists, including judges, who prioritized precision and clarity. The mention of burning palm leaves/fronds illustrates the environmental and artisanal conditions under which these paper documents were manufactured (p. 264, 271). A specific case of manuscript layering is mentioned where a scribe completed an 'old manuscript' (nuskha qadima) from the middle onwards, showing the reuse and continuation of older paper volumes (p. 263).