Im Garten der Alchemie

The 10th-century "Book of the Garden" (Kitāb ar-Rauḍa) by the Andalusian Maslama b. Qāsim al-Qurṭubī's stands out from the Arabic alchemical literature with its clear theoretical explanations enriched with allegorical depictions. The tradition-historical study, critical edition, and German translation presented here provides a profound insight into al-Qurṭubī's work. It also includes a content analysis that focuses on the philosophical foundations of the work and places the alchemical operation and its allegorical rendering as well as the mediational character of alchemy at the center. In this way, the study also provides information about the author's background in the history of ideas.