Books by Josef Ženka
Fifty Years of Travels of a Linguist and Philospher (Padesát let cest jazykozpytce a filosofa), w... more Fifty Years of Travels of a Linguist and Philospher (Padesát let cest jazykozpytce a filosofa), written by Alois Richard Nykl (1885–1958; Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, 1921), represents the first and only completed volume of this Czech-American linguist and polyglot’s autobiography.
Papers by Josef Ženka
ʽAlāmas nazaríes. Los autógrafos de los sultanes (1454-1492): Exposición. Archivo de la Real Chancillería de Granada del 2 de Febrero al 18 de Marzo de 2022. Edited by David Torres Ibáňez. Granada: Archivo de la Real Chancillería de Granada, 2022, 27-54., 2022
Study and edition of four documents from the Nasrid period (15th century). The article contains t... more Study and edition of four documents from the Nasrid period (15th century). The article contains the first edition and study of any document issued by Muhammad XII el Zaghal.
Companion to Medieval and Early Modern Granada, ed. B. Boloix Gallardo, Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2022, 273-295., 2022
Ženka finalize and sign the treaty, with Abū Saʿīd Uthmān's full authorization.3 Ibn Al-Jayyāb's ... more Ženka finalize and sign the treaty, with Abū Saʿīd Uthmān's full authorization.3 Ibn Al-Jayyāb's job was to explain the situation with wording that would be clearly comprehensible in Fes. He used flowery chancellery language, in which he was preeminent during his life, but luckily for us he was meticulous in detailing the entire process of negotiations between Castile and Granada. Another piece of luck came some 300 years later when the famous scholar al-Maqqarī (d. 1042/1632) decided to include that letter and another as expressions of Ibn al-Jayyāb's literary prose. Still, it is only a fractional portion of the diplomatic production that he composed during his long life and career.4 The content, essence, and form of this letter serve as an introduction to the study of relationships across these borders as it brings up a wide range of issues. First, it says a lot about the position of Granada as the frontier between the Christian and Islamic worlds as well as a gateway between them. The position of Granada as a thaghr, a frontier of Islam, very much defined its history and fate over at least three centuries, although that was not always true, as Granada, for most of Andalusi history, was situated deep within Muslim territory.5 Only with the emergence of borders between Muslims in the 5th/11th century and their frontier with Christians in the 7th/13th century could relationships with others evolve. This process is well-attested by the sources related to diplomacy and to other forms of contacts between Muslims, and between Muslims and Christians. The first evidence appears during the 5th/11th century, and while few documents survive from the 6th/12th century, a huge volume of evidence survives from the Nasrid period (7th-9th/13th-15th centuries). This large volume of sources allows a deep study of Granadan relationships with other realms. Here Ibn al-Jayyāb's letter is quite explicit, stressing that it was not only the Castilians (Christians) but also the Marinids with whom Granada maintained regular contacts and ties. This double context is particularly important because modern literature gives far too much emphasis on relations between Christians and Muslims, i.e. between Granada and Castile, and Granada and Aragon. Meanwhile, it neglects to give similar importance to its relationship with other Muslim realms or to Granadan Islamic identity within those relationships. The striking evidence of this is the persistent idea that Granada was a vassal of Castile for about two and half centuries, a concept that can be easily dismissed by looking at both the evidence and the Islamic 3 Such authorization survives from 1367, verified by a supreme judge of Granada, Ibn al-Ḥasan al-Bunnāhī: Alarcón and García de Linares, Los documentos árabes diplomáticos, pp. 150-51. 4 For an amount of material composed by a chief chancellor compared with a list of Ibn al-Khaṭīb's letters preserved in Nufāḍat al-jirāb, see Jreis, Entre las dos orillas, pp. 327-39. 5 Boloix-Gallardo, De la Taifa de Arjona, pp. 41-46.
in: The Maghrib in the Mashriq: Knowledge, Travel and Identity, ed. Maribel Fierro und Mayte Penelas. Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter, 2021, 477-512. , 2021
A large corpus of manuscripts created by Andalusis living in Mamlūk lands have survived, tracing ... more A large corpus of manuscripts created by Andalusis living in Mamlūk lands have survived, tracing the new lives that they built far away from their birthplaces. These documents illustrate interests, scholarly and professional activities, and, in those cases where a scholar had not attracted the attention of Mamlūk authors, also provide exceptional sources for reconstructing their fate, as well their own expression, and perception, of themselves. It is clear that the Andalusis used these manuscripts for private study, for the education of their children, as a means of transmission of their own knowledge, as well as a source of income. In some cases, the manuscripts enable readers to clearly establish the context in which they were created. How a specific volume was used over time and how its meaning changed through the generations can also often be ascertained. Thus, these manuscripts allow one to look beyond the factual depiction of the presence of the Maghrib in the Mashriq, as it was shaped by Mamlūk authors, and offer a unique opportunity to assess their author's identity and cultural acts of expression. 1 Biographical sketches in Western sources often end at the moment of their departure from the Maghrib, while Eastern ones start with their arrival in the East. || 1 In this paper the words Maghrib/Maghribi and West and Western are used to denote the Islamic West as a whole. For the specific regions terms such as al-Andalus, Granada, Fez, and Tunis or their dynastic equivalents are used. The terms Mashriq and the East are used to denote everything eastwards of Ḥafṣid Tripolis. || Note: The work for this paper was carried out during my research stay at the Annemarie Schimmel Kolleg in Bonn. I would like to thank Stephan Conermann and Bethany Walker for giving me the opportunity to develop this line of research. The first version of this paper was presented in Bonn in September 2018 and a second version at the Madrid workshop, "The Maghrib in the Mashriq" in December 2018. I am grateful to Maribel Fierro and Mayte Penelas for inviting me. To my colleague, Pavel Sládek, I am grateful for his support. Anna Gilliland's linguistic revision made the publication of this paper possible. Without her effort, Ibn Ḥizb Allāh would have stayed buried in history. Research for this article was supported in part by the project La Granada nazarí en el siglo XV: microhistoria de una entidad islámica en Occidente (FFI2016-79252-P AEI/FEDER,UE), co-directed by Ana M.ª Carballeira and Amalia Zomeño.
Mamluk Studies Review 23 (2020), 1-22., 2020
Obituary of one of Rudolf Veselý, the world-renowned specialist in Arabic Diplomatics and Documen... more Obituary of one of Rudolf Veselý, the world-renowned specialist in Arabic Diplomatics and Documents. It contains his complete bibliography.
in Alois Richard Nykl. Present Day Mexico. Eds. Dagmar Winklerová, MarkétaKřížová. Praha: Národní muzeum, 2019, 12-4, 2019
Journal of Islamic Manuscripts, 2018
This article addresses the fate of the Royal Library of the Nasrid Sultans at the Alhambra. Sever... more This article addresses the fate of the Royal Library of the Nasrid Sultans at the Alhambra. Several royal manuscripts once belonging to the Nasrid sultans of Granada survive to this day, despite having been thought burned by the cardinal Cisneros (d. 1517). One
of the volumes is a personal manuscript of the last sultan of al-Andalus, Muḥammad XI (Boabdil; reigned 887–888/1482–1483, 892–897/1487–1492) and is currently held in the Royal Library of the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. This codex abounds with manuscript notes telling the story of its creation and its first owner, the Sultan, until it was incorporated into the current collection. The author examines its journey in the context of the Sultan’s life and the Nasrid manuscript and book culture, arguing that it was this ruler who moved the royal books out of the Alhambra to his place of exile in North Africa. The article is accompanied by an edition and translation of an ijāza given
to Muḥammad XI by the mufti and khaṭīb of Granada al-Mawwāq (d. 897/1492). It is the sole surviving royal teaching certificate from the Nasrid period of Andalusi history.
In 1933, the newly founded Escuela de Estudios Árabes of Madrid printed Nykl's edition of Dīwān I... more In 1933, the newly founded Escuela de Estudios Árabes of Madrid printed Nykl's edition of Dīwān Ibn Quzmān as its inaugural book. The Nykl papers held at the Náprstek Museum offer great insight into the working method of an orientalist of the first half of the 15 th century. It is the aim of this article to demonstrate the author's preparations and, through them, to analyze author's working method, his relations to his predecessor Julián Ribera and reasons behind the final form of the book. The significant use of Nykl's papers in the article demonstrates the importance of personal papers for mapping the writing and publishing processes.
This article attempts to highlight the great potential of manuscript notes for the study of Nasri... more This article attempts to highlight the great potential of manuscript notes for the study of Nasrid Granada in the second half of the fifteenth century. It focuses on the context of this manuscript and literary production and presents an edition and translation of a note about the great flood of 1478 in Granada included in the Arabic manuscript number 853 in the Library of the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The quality and value of the information offered by this manuscript note should serve as an impetus for the study of this type of material in the future.
Muṣāhara (affinity/relation by marriage) represented one of the essential distinctions of the rul... more Muṣāhara (affinity/relation by marriage) represented one of the essential distinctions of the ruling elite of fourteenth-century Granada. Ibn al-Khaṭīb understood its importance for life in Granada and he felt the need to mention it whenever two people were related by marriage. His perception has been taken as one of the most fundamental for historical research, as he drew on his personal experience in Granada. This study first defines the concept of the ruling elite of fourteenth-century Granada. Within this group, the concept of muṣāhara as understood by Ibn al-Khaṭīb is further elaborated. The definition of muṣāhara is followed by the description of its actual use among the families close to the office of the vizier (wazīr) and by Ibn al-Khaṭīb himself. The history of one of these families (al-Fihrī) has been hailed as an exceptional example of the “ruling elite family” that included contemporaries and adversaries of Ibn al-Khaṭīb. The example of the al-Fihrī family shows how strong and active their position was during the rule of every fourteenth-century emir. Consequently, this study demonstrates that the extensive Granadan families similar to those known from the fifteenth century had existed and cooperated with each other before this time.
Anaquel de Estudios Árabes 25 (2014), pp. 195-208
En este artículo se estudia el nombre correcto de la familia Išqalyūla, una de las familias funda... more En este artículo se estudia el nombre correcto de la familia Išqalyūla, una de las familias fundadoras del Emirato Nazarí de Granada que ha sido hasta ahora llamada Ašqīlūla, a pesar de haber demostrado María Jesús Rubiera Mata que dicho nombre se debería considerar incorrecto. En este estudio, basándonos en el análisis de una inscripción funeraria y de varios manuscritos, desarrollaremos su teoría. En las fuentes, el nombre de la familia aparece principalmente bajo la forma en que lām precede a yā’. La
mención más antigua se halla en la lápida funeraria de‛Alī Ibn Išqalyūla, elaborada después de su muerte. Este artículo muestra también que algunos de los manuscritos vocalizan esta palabra como Išqalyūla, pero nunca como Ašqīlūla. Por lo tanto, se deduce que esta segunda forma es un neologismo creado por autores modernos, que se acercaron a la palabra con la misma imprecisión que ciertos autores antiguos y copistas de las obras. Mediante la comparación de textos de diferentes manuscritos, el proceso de cambio del nombre de la forma Išqalyūla a Išqaylūla se revela y se explica como un error o confusión de los escribanos. La conclusión final es que el nombre correcto es Išqalyūla, transcripción fiel de la palabra Escallola/Escalhola.
Annals of the Náprstek Museum 35/2 (2014), pp. 57-80.
The personal papers of the Bohemian-born American linguist, Arabist, and Romanicist Alois Richard... more The personal papers of the Bohemian-born American linguist, Arabist, and Romanicist Alois Richard Nykl (1885-1958) are the largest archival collection of the Náprstek Museum. This study analyses the history of the collection and the reasons why it was bequeathed to this institute. The study also presents a brief outline of the contents of Nykl’s papers.
Manuscritos árabes en Marruecos y en España: espacios compartidos Sexta Primavera del Manuscrito Andalusí, Casablanca: 2013, 181-190.
El estudio preteode analizar el periodo de las terceras taifas en el nuevonmanuscrito de la cróni... more El estudio preteode analizar el periodo de las terceras taifas en el nuevonmanuscrito de la crónica de !bn al-Jatib A‛māl/I‛māl al-a‛lām fī man būyi‛a qabla iḥtilām min mulūk al-islām wa mā yaǧarru min šuǧūn al-kalām. El manuscrito complementa las ediciones existeotes del segundo volumen y en diez páginas agrega ocho nuevos capítulos que comprenden los años 1230 a 1314.
Addenda to Biblioteca de al-Andalus by Josef Ženka
Alhadra: Revista de cultura andalusí 3 (2017): 220-223.
Addenda to Biblioteca de al-Andalus
Alhadra: Revista de cultura andalusí 3 (2017): 270-272.
Addenda to Biblioteca de al-Andalus
Alhadra: Revista de cultura andalusí 3 (2017): 216-220.
Addenda to Biblioteca de al-Andalus
Alhadra 2017 (3): 220-223., 2017
Addenda to Biblioteca de Al-Andalus
Forthcoming Articles by Josef Ženka
Mamlūk historian al-Maqrīzī included long passages on al-Andalus and Maghrib in his works Kitāb a... more Mamlūk historian al-Maqrīzī included long passages on al-Andalus and Maghrib in his works Kitāb al-sulūk fī ma‛rifat duwal al-mulūk and Durar al-‛uqūd al-farīda fī tarājim al-a‛yān al-mufīda. The present study examines the issue of credibility of this specific al- Maqrīzī’s narration on the Islamic west by selecting events from the Castile-Granada war in 1410. Carefully comparing al-Maqrīzī ‘s description of the Battle of Boca del Asna and the siege of Antequera with Castilian chronicles, it concludes that he noted Granadan tradition by using some unspecified sources and his report is very reliable. It further demonstrates that these narratives might be crucial for the reinterpretation of the history of al-Andalus and Maghrib at the beginning of the 15th century.
This article attempts to highlight the great potential of manuscript notes for the study of Nasri... more This article attempts to highlight the great potential of manuscript notes for the study of Nasrid Granada in the second half of the fifteenth century. It focuses on the context of this manuscript and literary production and presents an edition and translation of a note about the great Granadan flood of 1478. The quality and value of the information shown by the manuscript note should serve as an impetus for the study of this type of material in the future.
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Books by Josef Ženka
Papers by Josef Ženka
of the volumes is a personal manuscript of the last sultan of al-Andalus, Muḥammad XI (Boabdil; reigned 887–888/1482–1483, 892–897/1487–1492) and is currently held in the Royal Library of the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. This codex abounds with manuscript notes telling the story of its creation and its first owner, the Sultan, until it was incorporated into the current collection. The author examines its journey in the context of the Sultan’s life and the Nasrid manuscript and book culture, arguing that it was this ruler who moved the royal books out of the Alhambra to his place of exile in North Africa. The article is accompanied by an edition and translation of an ijāza given
to Muḥammad XI by the mufti and khaṭīb of Granada al-Mawwāq (d. 897/1492). It is the sole surviving royal teaching certificate from the Nasrid period of Andalusi history.
mención más antigua se halla en la lápida funeraria de‛Alī Ibn Išqalyūla, elaborada después de su muerte. Este artículo muestra también que algunos de los manuscritos vocalizan esta palabra como Išqalyūla, pero nunca como Ašqīlūla. Por lo tanto, se deduce que esta segunda forma es un neologismo creado por autores modernos, que se acercaron a la palabra con la misma imprecisión que ciertos autores antiguos y copistas de las obras. Mediante la comparación de textos de diferentes manuscritos, el proceso de cambio del nombre de la forma Išqalyūla a Išqaylūla se revela y se explica como un error o confusión de los escribanos. La conclusión final es que el nombre correcto es Išqalyūla, transcripción fiel de la palabra Escallola/Escalhola.
Addenda to Biblioteca de al-Andalus by Josef Ženka
Forthcoming Articles by Josef Ženka
of the volumes is a personal manuscript of the last sultan of al-Andalus, Muḥammad XI (Boabdil; reigned 887–888/1482–1483, 892–897/1487–1492) and is currently held in the Royal Library of the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. This codex abounds with manuscript notes telling the story of its creation and its first owner, the Sultan, until it was incorporated into the current collection. The author examines its journey in the context of the Sultan’s life and the Nasrid manuscript and book culture, arguing that it was this ruler who moved the royal books out of the Alhambra to his place of exile in North Africa. The article is accompanied by an edition and translation of an ijāza given
to Muḥammad XI by the mufti and khaṭīb of Granada al-Mawwāq (d. 897/1492). It is the sole surviving royal teaching certificate from the Nasrid period of Andalusi history.
mención más antigua se halla en la lápida funeraria de‛Alī Ibn Išqalyūla, elaborada después de su muerte. Este artículo muestra también que algunos de los manuscritos vocalizan esta palabra como Išqalyūla, pero nunca como Ašqīlūla. Por lo tanto, se deduce que esta segunda forma es un neologismo creado por autores modernos, que se acercaron a la palabra con la misma imprecisión que ciertos autores antiguos y copistas de las obras. Mediante la comparación de textos de diferentes manuscritos, el proceso de cambio del nombre de la forma Išqalyūla a Išqaylūla se revela y se explica como un error o confusión de los escribanos. La conclusión final es que el nombre correcto es Išqalyūla, transcripción fiel de la palabra Escallola/Escalhola.