Safina-yi Tabriz

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Safīna-yi Tabriz (The Vessel of Tabriz or The Treasury of Tabriz, Persian: سفینه تبریز ‎ ) is an important encyclopedic manuscript from 14th century Ilkhanid Iran compiled by Abu'l Majd Muhammad b. Mas'ud Tabrizi between 1321 and 1323.

Although "safineh" in Arabic means a vessel, in manuscriptic books it means an special form of book that its cover is very long, so when the book is opened, it resembles a long boat.

Based on the manuscript, the book has been published in facsimile by Tehran University Press. As it constitutes a rare Islamic manuscript that has recently been discovered, it has generated a great deal of interest amongst Islamic, Iranian and Middle Eastern scholars. It is almost perfectly preserved, and contains 209 works on a wide range of subjects, in Persian and Arabic. According to Professors A. A. Seyed-Gohrab and S. McGlinn: It is indeed a whole treasure-house, compressed between two covers. One of the important features of the Safinah is that it contains works of a number of philosophers who were not known until the discovery of the manuscript.

The texts of the Safina-yi Tabrizi contain separate chapters covering prophetic traditions^[1] hadeeth, lexicography, ethics, mysticism, jurisprudence, theology, exegesis, history, grammar, linguistics, literature^[2] literary criticism, philosophy, astronomy astrology, geomancy, mineralogy, mathematics, medicine, music, physiognomy^[3], cosmography and geography. According to Professors A.A. Seyed-Gohrab and S. McGlinn, some of the best available texts of important works of Islamic culture and learning are contained in this work.^[4]

Several recent conferences have been held in Iran as well as the West discussing the different aspects of this book. The two most important conferences with this regard were held in the University of Leiden [1] and the University of Tabriz in Iran. The conference held in the city of Tabriz where the work was composed was designated with the theme: Tabriz in the mirror of The treasury of Tabriz.

Besides standard Arabic and Persian, the texts contains many every day expressions of the ancient Iranic language of Tabriz during the Ilkhanid era also termed as Fahlaviyat deriving from the word Pahlavi. As it is evident in chapter 124, page 533, in that time the language of Tabriz was not Turkish and the common language in Tabriz was Pahlavi (or ancient Azari).

A sample expression of Fahlaviyat from the mystic Baba Faraj Tabrizi in the Safina:

انانک قده‌ي فرجشون فعالم آندره اووارادا چاشمش نه پيف قدم کينستا نه پيف حدوث

Standard Persian:

چندانک فرج را در عالم آورده‌اند چشم او نه بر قدم افتاده است نه بر حدوث

َAccording to Profesor Seyyed Ali Al-e Davud: The picture one gets from the 7th and 8th century Islamic era from the Safina Tabriz is a complete picture of the cultural, scientific and social settings of that time. One of many aspects of this manuscript deals with Islamic philosophy. In his recent book ^[5] Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr has described the manuscript as an earth shaking discovery. Dr. Nasr briefly overviews the philosophical treatise of the Safina.

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