Misk: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition : Brill Online

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Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition

Misk
(A.), musk, the gland secretion of the male musk deer (Moschus moschiferus L., Cervidae), discharged from the musk pouch (Moschus in vesicis), the prepucial bag-like formation near the navel of small deer resembling roes or gazelles. According to a tradition, musk is the best and strongest smelling perfume (Wensinck, Concordance, vi, 224a, 10-1; idem, Handbook, 184b). In antiquity, musk was not known. In Byzantium, it turns up in the 6th century (Cosmas Indicopleustes). Al-Masd (Murdj , ed. and tr. Pellat, 391, 392, 393, 407, 434, 902), also quoted by Ibn al-Bayr (see Bibl.) after Ibn Wfid, reports on the homeland and extraction of this highly appreciated perfume. According to him, the musk gazelle (ghazl, aby) lives in a region belonging partly to Tibet, partly to China. For two reasons, the Tibetan musk is of higher quality than the Chinese one: firstly because the gazelles in Tibet graze the fragrant spikenard (sunbul, not lavender, Pellat 391), whereas in China, other herbs; secondly, because the Tibetans leave the musk pouch as it is, while the Chinese take the secretion out of the pouches and add blood, or tamper with it in another way. Besides, the Chinese musk loses part of its quality because of humidity and climatic changes on the long sea journey from China to Near East. In Tibet, the musk gazelles are caught in nets, or killed with arrows. In size, colour and form of the horns, the animals resemble the Arabicgazelle. If the pouch is cut off before the secretion is ripe, the latter gives off an unpleasant smell which, after some time, under the influence of the air, takes on the real musk scent. The best musk is obtained when the secretion ripens completely inside the pouch. In this case, the animal senses a strong itching, from which it frees itself by grating against stones until the pouch bursts open and the contents come out. The Tibetans then go to look for the discharged secretion which has dried up in the air, put it in the musk pouch and take it to their princes. This high-quality musk is reserved for princes, who give it to each other as a present. Others authors essentially affirm al-Masd's report, adding further data about the lands of origin. As such, India is mentioned, above all the kingdom of Mdja (perhaps Arakan, the coastal region of Western Burma), and also Further India, Ceylon and Java. From Central Asia, the musk came into the Islamic lands by the great caravan routes, and from East and South Asia by way of the sea, through the ports of Drn (Barayn) and Aden. Even in faraway Spain, musk was the most important perfume (al-Masd, Murdj , 407). The most detailed report on musk is given by al-Nuwayr (see Bibl.). His main source is the KitbalArs of al-Tamm, but he also quotes al-Yab, Muammad b. Abbs al-Misk, usayn b. YazdalSrf and Yann b. Msawayh, who give more accurate data about the places of origin, the transportation and the entrepts, as well as about the various qualities of the musk. Musk was very often tampered with, as may be seen from the substitutes quoted by al-Kind (or one of his pupils) in his Kitb f Kmiyal-ir wa 'l-tadt and the list thereof composed by the editor K. Garbers (Abhandlungen fr die Kunde des Morgenlandes, xxx, Leipzig 1948, 272-4). Musk also played an important role in medicine. According to Arab physicians, musk intensifies and stimulates the senses, and dispels trouble and affliction. This is in line with the fact that musk, destined by nature to attract the female animal, with human beings has the effect of an aphrodisiac (H. Schindler and H. Frank, Tiere in Pharmazie und Medizin, Stuttgart 1961, 288-92). It further strengthens the brains and eyes, is good for heart palpitation, is an antidote against venomous stings, against the deadly alkaloid of aconite and against ergot (urn al-sunbul), secale cornutum). Bibliography
(apart from references given in the article): Rz, w, xxi, aydarbd 1388/1968, 516

(A. Dietrich)

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Misk: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition : Brill Online

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Ibn Abi 'l-Ash ath , al-Adwiya al-mufrada, ms. Rabat, Bibl. Gn. 291, pp. 264, l. 10-265, l. 14 Ab Manral-Haraw, al-Abniya an aial-adwiya, ed. Bahmanyr and Ardakn, Tehran 1346, 326 Al b. s, Tadhkirat al-kaln, aydarbd 1383/1964, 379 Ibn Sn, nn, Bl 1294, i, 360 Brn, aydana, ed. Mu. Sad, Karachi 1973, 345-6, Eng. tr. 304, Russ. tr. U.I. Karimov, Tashkent 1973, no. 992 Ibn Biklrish , Mustan, ms. Naples, Bibl. Naz. III, F. 65, fol. 66b, ll. 22-6 jurdjn, al-Aghr at-ibbiyya, Tehran 1345, 606 Idrs, al-jmi li-ift ashtt al-nabt, etc., ms. Istanbul, Fatih 3610, fol. 266, ll. 16-24 IbnHubal, al-Mukhtrt, aydarbd 1362, ii, 122, l. 18-123, l. 2 Ibn al-Bayr, al-jmi, Bl 1291, iv, 155, l. 26-157, l. 10 = tr. Leclerc, no. 2127 (very detailed) Ysuf b. Umaral-G h assn, Mutamad, ed. M. al-Sa, Beirut 1395/1975, 495-7 Ibn al-uff, Umda, aydarbd 1356, i, 262 Suwayd, al-Simt f asmal-nabt, ms. Paris ar. 3004, fols. 123b, l. 13-124a, l. 15, s.v. yabr, and fol. 170b, l. 15-171a, l. 6, s.v. misk Nuwayr, Nihya, xii, 1-15 (very detailed), partial tr. E. Wiedemann, Aufstze zur arabischen Wissenschaftsgeschichte, ii, 240-4 Ank, Tadhkira, Cairo 1371/1952, i, 297, l. 22-298, l. 9 Tufat al-abb, ed. Renaud and Colin, Paris 1934, nos. 280, 379 W. Heyd, Histoire du commerce du Levant, Leipzig 1885-6, ii, 636-40 ub Labb, Handelsgeschichte gyptens im Sptmittelalter (1171-1517), Wiesbaden 1965, 3, 130, 193, 335, 401 A. Tschirch, Handbuch der Pharmakognosie, 3 vols., Leipzig 1909-27, ii, 1157 H.A. Hoppe, Drogenkunde 8 , Berlin-New York 1975-7, ii, 302.

[The entry 'Misk' was originally published in print in 1991 (fascicule 115-122, pp. 142-143).]

[Print Version: Volume VII, page 142, column 1] Citation: Dietrich, A. "Misk." Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Edited by: P. Bearman; , Th. Bianquis; , C.E. Bosworth; , E. van Donzel; and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2012. Brill Online. University of Oslo Library. 07 April 2012 <http://www.brillonline.nl/subscriber/entry?entry=islam_SIM-5234>
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