gems, minerals, Arabic mineralogy

Al-Hilālī presents a German translation, with explanatory notes, of the introduction to al-Bīrūnī’s Kitāb al-Jamāhir fī maʿrifat al-jawāhir (Book of the Multitudes on the Knowledge of Precious Stones), al-Bīrūnī’s major work on gemstones, minerals, and related substances. The introduction sets out al-Bīrūnī’s conception of wealth and precious materials and the principles underlying his treatment of stones and metals, placing their desirability and value within a broader discussion of human needs, luxury, exchange, and the social use of valuable objects. Al-Hilālī supplies philological and explanatory commentary intended to clarify al-Bīrūnī’s terminology and references. The work originated as al-Hilālī’s doctoral dissertation and provides an important German-language study and translation of the introductory portion of one of the principal medieval Islamic sources on gemology and mineralogy.