Book of the Date Palm

Abū Aflaḥ al-Saraqusṭī (attrib.)

Sefer ha-tamar

12th Century

Two facing pages displaying a multi-colored map with abstract landforms, rivers, and labels in Arabic script.
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The Book of the Date Palm (Sefer ha-tamar) is ascribed to Abū Aflaḥ al-Saraqusṭī, an otherwise unknown figure. This work, apparently from Sicily, was a translation or reworking of a now-lost Arabic text on magic written sometime before 1100. It records astrological, alchemical, and associated traditions, many of which it connects to the biblical King Solomon.

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Intellectual Culture in the Early Medieval World

6th to 12th Century

Creator Bio

Abū Aflaḥ al-Saraqusṭī

12th Century

This figure is known only as the author of the Book of the Date Palm (Sefer ha-tamar), seemingly a Hebrew translation of an Arabic magical text. His name and other references in the text suggest that he hailed from Sicily.

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