| Summary: | Six 7th/13th-century illustrated manuscripts of al-Hariri's <i>Maqamat</i> are the subject of this thesis. The <i>Maqamat</i> or 'Assemblies' are justly viewed, after the Qur'an itself, as 'the chief treasure of the Arabic tongue'. There is a <i>terminus ad quem</i> of 1310 for the London B.L. or 9718 manuscript, because its artist/scribe lived to eighty years of age, and the possibility exists that it properly belongs to the second half of the 7th/13th century. This is an interesting manuscript; unfortunately, its poor state precludes detailed study. The <i>Maqamat</i> comprise 50 tales of a gifted hero, Abu Zayd, who delights in duping his fellow men from all walks of life and in a variety of lands by masterly displays of erudition; they occur in the lawcourt, the governor's palace, the butling sug, the mosque, the city or in more rustic surroundings. It is proposed that the illustrations offer an unparalleled insight into the life of the period. Some 100 photographic reproductions from the 7th/13th-century manuscripts are included, the majority of them in colour. Individual illustrations appear in the body of the thesis, with a translation of the surrounding text in bold typeface; a further selection of miniatures is interspersed in the catalogues. The main reason for their choice was the desire to give as varied a selection as possible, and to reflect the actual material of the thesis.
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