its court whilst it was building. In this feeling experienced by the old traveller we find at once the origin of all the exaggerated notions of the architectural merits of the Mosque, and the ground of the real interest and importance attaching to it. That interest is in fact to the pious Muslim a religious one just as it is to us an historical and sentimental one. We see in Ibn Said a cultivated traveller, who was familiar with the most splendid buildings of Andalusia and Western Africa, honestly deceiving himself into finding beauty in a mosque which he has himself just described as practically devoid of any; and that because he was under the influence of religious sentiment. How strongly such feelings appeal to the pious Muslim, any one who has lived among them must know and we shall consequently relegate to the realms of fable the story related by a certain "Abdel Rachyd el Bakouy," that "the whole of the Kuran was written in Kufic on the walls of the mosque, upon slabs of white marble, with the titles adorned with gold and azure," at least till such time as it shall be proved that the said Abdel Rachyd was a trustworthy writer contemporary with the facts which he describes. This story is indeed, on its present basis, on a level in authority with that related to me by one of the servants of the Mosque, who, when told that the original Mosque of Amr was smaller than the present one, was much scandalized, and asserted roundly that it was an established fact that the Mosque had extended all the way to the tomb of the Imam-ash-Shāfaī, say a mile and a half as the crow flies! 1 We have seen again that on the occasion of the prayer for water the reason given for resorting to the Mosque of Amr was the fact of the Companions having resorted there. Indeed, we may be certain that this natural and pious veneration for a spot hallowed by such associations has been the sole reason for the survival of the building at all, when so much of later work on a grand scale has disappeared from Description de l'Egypte, second edition, Paris, 1829, vol. 18, p. 464. Who this gentleman was, and when, where, and on what authority he made the above statement, we are not told. around it. It may help us to realize that this statement is no exaggeration of the facts, if we consider that Saladin, while still nominally Wazīr of Al-Ãdid, founded two great theological colleges,1 both in the immediate neighbourhood of the Mosque of Amr, and that of them, as of numberless others, no trace now remains. Yes, the interest attaching to the "Old Mosque" is one of historical association and sentiment. Few places are more favourable to a moralizing spirit: and to those who are familiar with the general course of history in the Egypt of Muslim times, it will always preserve a certain melancholy interest. While looking from the roof or the minaret over the scene of desolation around him, the traveller will certainly renew once more the old story of the transitory nature of all human splendour and prosperity; and may well exclaim, in the words of the Book: "Every creature on the earth passeth away but the face of thy Lord, endued with majesty and honour, abideth for ever." : 2 1 Called the Madrasa Nasiriya and the Madrasa Kamhiya. They were devoted to theology after the sects of Ash Shafai and Ibn Malik respectively (Al-Makrizy, ii. 363-4). 2 Koran, lv. 26, 27. ART. XVI.-Titles of the Sanskrit MSS. in the Todd and Whish Collections of the Royal Asiatic Society. [In the absence of a proper catalogue, which the Council of the Society hope soon to have prepared, the following rough list of the titles of the Sanskrit MSS. in the Society's collection may prove useful to scholars.] SANSKRIT AND PRAKRIT MSS. (TODD COLLECTION). 1. Âditya Purâņa. Foll. 108. Samvat 1665. 5. Aswa-medha-Parva of the Mahâbhârata. Foll. 271. Samvat 1732. 6. Padma Purâņa. Samvat 1726. 7. Dîpârnava Şilpa-Sastra. Samvat 1878. 8. Graha-lāghava. Foll. 42. 9. Hakikat. History of Jeypur. Foll. 52 and 17. Hindi. 10. Upadesa-Mâlâ. Foll. 43. 11. Nrisimha Purâņa. Foll. 100. Samvat 1787. 12. Brahma Purâņa. 13. Upadesa Taranginî. Foll. 60. 2700 slokas. 14. Vâyu Purâṇa. Foll. 383. Samvat 1875 1675 (?). 15. Kirâtârjunîya. Foll. 73. Samvat 1696. 16. Sâraswata-Vyākaraṇa. Foll. 71. Samvat 1710. 17. Abridgment of Hema Chandra's Grammar. Foll. 18. Samvat 1531. 18. Vâsu-pûjya-Caritam. Incomplete. Foll. 94. 19. A Jain Ritual. Incomplete form, Foll. 8. 20. Nirayâvali Sûtra. Foll. 41. 21. Ratnâkara Ţîkâ. Foll. 71. 22. Tâjika Sâra. Foll. 48. Samvat 1805. 23. Samjñâ Tantra. Foll. 17. No date. 24. Hindu Calendar. Ll. 63. 34. Kâlikâcârya-Kathânaka. Foll. 112. Samvat 1461. 35. Sanghayana Sûtra. Foll. 40. Samvat 1705. 36. Astronomical Tables. Foll. 24. Samvat 1723. 37. Pañcalingya-Prakaraṇam. Foll. 271. Samvat 1308. 38. Raghuvansa. Foll. 116. 39. Kûrma-Purâņa. Foll. 277. Samvat 1646. Samvat 1655. Foll. 22. Samvat 1794. 40. Agni-Purâna. Foll. 506. Samvat 1700. 41. Jambu Kumâra Râsaka. 42 Hammîra Carita. Foll. 100. 43. Shaḍvidyâvaśyaka-Sûtra. Foll. 93. 44. Dravya Kiranâvali. Foll. 36. 45. Astronomical Tables. Foll. 77. Samvat 1789. 46. Bhâvâdhyâya. Foll. 43. Samvat 1818. 47. A Jain work. Foll. 159. 48. Karpûra Prakarakam. Foll. 39. 49. Megha Mâlâ, an astronomical work. Foll. 26. Samvat 1801. 50. Singhâsan Batîsî. Foll. 53. Hindi. Samvat 1824. 51. Svapnâdhyâya. Foll. 5. Samvat 1824. 52. Karmavipâka-sûtra. Foll. 18. 53. Prasna-cûdâmani-sâra. Foll. 23. 54. Ramala-şâstra-bhoja. Foll. 15. 55. Ratnacûḍarâsa. Foll. 14. Samvat 1678. 56. Karaṇa-Kutûhala. Foll. 18. 57. Grahalâghavasâranî. Foll. 15. Samvat 1777. 58. Ratna-dîpa. Foll. 17. 59. Astronomical Tables. Foll. 112. 60. Chand's Prithvîrâjarâsa. Foll. 141. 63. Tilamasa-lâñchana-vicâra. Foll. 25. 64. A Prâkrit work. Foll. 63. 65. Şântinâthadeva Caritam. Foll. 137. Samvat 1665. 66. Shadvidhâ-vyâkhyâ. Foll. 11. 67. Niraya Sûtra. Foll. 24. 68. Vikramashâparâchoracaritram. Foll. 6. Samvat 1727. 69-71. Ṣrî Bhâva-vishaya. Hindi. Foll. 76. In 3 parts. 72. Acaladasabhojavatari. Foll. 14. 73. Madhura gachha. Foll. 16. 74. Inatadharmakathâ-sûtra. Foll. 134. 75. Sangrâma Sâra. Foll. 285. 76. Sangrâma Sâra. Foll. 98. 77. Mahâbhârata. About 1500 leaves. 80. Vansa-kalola-sâra-samuccaya. 81. Dholambharûjîkibâta. Foll. 198. 82. Prithivîrâjarâsaka. Foll. 259. 83. Pânini. Foll. 57. 84. Bhîmasena's Dhâtu pâtha. Foll. 19. 85 and 87. Hemachandra. Foll. 107, 106. 86 and 88. Prakrîyâ Kaumudî. Foll. 129, 139. 89. Kridanta-Prakrîyâ. 90. Siddhânta-Kaumudî. Foll. 92. 53. 91. Mâjha Kâvya. Foll. 247. 92. Amara Kosha. 93. Medini Kosha. Foll. 21. 109. Foll. 69. 94. Haima Kosha. 95. Trikândaṣesha. Foll. 35. 20. 96. Uttara-Râma-Carita. Foll. 37. 97. Bhoja-prabandha. Foll. 62. 98. Janaki-pannayam. Foll. 38. 100. Trishashtithâlâkâpurusha. 101. Kshetrasamâsa. 102. Sangîti-tîkâ. |