The Fragrance Treatise of Yuhanna ibn Masawaih: Jawāhir al-ṭīb al-mufrada (Translation-Analysis)
Chapter from the book:
Tansü,
Y.
E.
(ed.)
2023.
Selected Papers in the Field of History- III.
Synopsis
Yuhanna ibn Masawaih, famous Syriac physician is also known in the west as Mesuë Senior, Mesue Major and Janus Damascenus. He was born in Gundeshapur as the son of a pharmacist and passed away in Samarra. He served as a personal physician to Abbasid caliphs for many years. He is among the first authors to make significant contributions to pharmacology in the Islamic world. Yuhanna, known for having over sixty works, includes a wide range of aromatic substances in his risalah (treatise) titled Cevâhiri’t-Tîbi’l-Müfrede, offering comprehensive information about a total of 29 aromatic substances, with a particular focus on the 5 main ones among them. In his work, he also addresses the types, qualities, extraction methods, and sales of these basic substances. In this study, after providing biographical information about the author, the works of Yuhanna are listed and the approach taken in handling the mentioned risalah is explained. Ultimately, the risalah is translated, and the terminology utilized in the text is explained through footnotes.