LANGUAGES: ITALIAN, GERMAN, SPANISH
The Commentary, a work by Arabist experts, is the authoritative guide to the facsimile of the Kitâb al-Diryâq and is published in six languages.
The original manuscript is held in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris (Ms arabe 2964). The manuscript is a superb Arab codex that describes theriac, the ancient medicinal compound that was initially used to treat bites from poisonous snakes and wild animals (Greek = thèrion), and which later became widely used as a panacea.
The manuscript, written in 1199 in ancient Arabic with notes in Persian, has 72 pages embellished with magnificent miniatures featuring traditional Arabic motifs.The initial calligraphic pages in Kufic characters present the nine learned physicians (Andromachus the Elder, Heraclides, Philagrius, Proclus, Pythagoras, Marinus, Magnus of Mesa, Andromachus the Younger, Galen), each with his own recipe for theriac, some prepared using one hundred different ingredients. Twelve pages are dedicated to illustrating the plants used for the preparation of the medicine: these include rocket, liquorice, cardamom, opium, white pepper, incense, capers, acacia, valerian, black pepper, garlic and wild leek.

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