Iraqi cinnabar (zunǧufur)
Lebanon
14th Century
Source: Raggetti, Lucia. "Cum grano salis. Some Arabic Ink Recipes in Their Historical and Literary Context." Journal of Islamic Manuscripts 7, no. 3 (2016): 294-338.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
Iraqi cinnabar (zunǧufur), fresh water, extract of ink for paper, Syrian gallnuts
Preparation Steps
Pound Iraqi cinnabar into a fine powder. Wash it repeatedly with fresh water until purified. Add a portion of the water previously mentioned (extract of ink for paper). A variant of the recipe includes the addition of Syrian gallnuts (p. 311-312).
Original Recipe Text
Pound Iraqi cinnabar into a fine powder. Wash it repeatedly with fresh water until purified. Add a portion of the water previously mentioned (extract of ink for paper). A variant of the recipe includes the addition of Syrian gallnuts (p. 311-312).
Evidence
"Pound the Iraqi cinnabar into a fine powder, then wash it a number of times with fresh water, until it is pure, then add some of the water we have mentioned, from the extract of the ink for paper... Syrian gallnuts to it, and the description of the extraction of the water is the one already described."
Remarks
The text notes common misspellings of cinnabar (zunǧufur) in the manuscript, appearing as 'refǧunzar' due to the copyist's uncertain hand (p. 311, note 28). Iraqi cinnabar was a specifically recognized variety in medieval technical literature (p. 311).
Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionHgS
Analytical Techniques
textual analysis
Certainty Level
Inferred
Instrumentally Verified
Not Verified
Metadata
Material Type
pigment
BinderAcacia gum
ColorRed
RegionLebanon
Approx. Year1350
Source Information
AuthorRaggetti, Lucia. "Cum grano salis. Some Arabic Ink Recipes in Their Historical and Literary Context." Journal of Islamic Manuscripts 7, no. 3
Collectionms Beirut aub, Ḫūrī 248, p. 188-189
Language
N/A
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