Ibn Iyas, (1442 – 1523) begins his most celebrated work, “The beautiful flowers in the chronicle of the ages”
(الدهور وقائع في الزهور بدائع (with a reflection the marvels of Egypt, most of which relate to the natural world.
He says that “There is no marvel in any country that is not matched our surpassed by the
wonders of Egypt.
And then goes on to list 30 wonders thought to exist nowhere else in the world.
“Emeralds, which are not to be found anywhere else in the world, and said to be found near Bahnassa,
and Alum and salt which is not to be found anywhere else, and ebony, and pistachio and sumac coloured
marble, and others; and opium, which is the juice of the poppy and whose benefits cannot be denied;
and the balsam of Matariyya, which is only to be found in Egypt, and which is highly regarded by the
Christian kings; and string rays which when held over somebody suffering from fever, cure them, and the
snakes whose poison produces useful antidotes, and lizards whose benefits are many, and Acacia
firewood which is fast flammable and slow burning; and yusufi wheat, and rapeseed oil, and egg
incubators that produce chickens which are among Egypt’s most delicious foods, and which are not
found outside Egypt; and oranges and lemons that are said to have been brought from India in the third
century after the Hijra, and a type of green almond called bing which disappeared from Egypt in the
seventh century, and mastic whose benefits are many, and red peaches that cannot be found anywhere
else, and Egyptian honey which is better than that of other places; and it has horses and mules and
donkeys that are finer than those from elsewhere, and it has Assiuti weaving that is not to be found
anywhere else, and drinking cups from Damietta, not to be found anywhere else, and it has weasels and
mongeese, which eat snakes. Without them, Egypt would be unliveable.
It has summer water melons, which have many benefits, and are said to have been imported from India
at the time of the Copts, and it has porphyry, and hay that is fed to the horses in spring, and it has linen
and shanbar cucumbers. Among its qualities is the blessed Nile, which are good for the digestion. Had it
not been for the lemon water that the people of Egypt drink, they would have sung the praises of the
sweetness of the water of Egypt.
Dimentions: 190 x 210 cm
