Ibn Luyun’s Treatise on Agriculture

Written in the first half of the 14^th century, this treatise shows the importance of agronomy within the field of science in al-Andalus. It is clear that the arrival of the Arabs led to great developments in this domain. The reasons behind this progress are numerous, but the Arab interest in medicine and as a consequence in the medicinal uses of plants, is particularly important. Plants were brought from and sent to the furthest reaches of the Islamic empire and it was important to study their specific needs in order to acclimatise them.

Ibn Luyun, the author of this treatise, was born in Almeria in 1282 and died in 1349 after being infected by the Plague. He was not only an agronomist but also a philosopher, a mathematician, a jurist, a poet and an ascetic. As with many scholars of his time, he travelled to the Maghreb and the Orient to complete his education. He was granted the license to teach by many of his mentors (Abû al-Hayyan in Almería, Abû Zakariyâ’ Yahyâ ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Qas al-Fasi, from Fez and Abû ‘Abd Allâh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Sa‘ad al-Nakani, from Egypt, among others).

This copy of his Book on the principles of beauty and the purpose of learning, which treats the fundamentals of the art of agriculture, dates from 1348, a year before the death of its author. It is complete and consists of 1365 verses. The calligraphy is in the style of the Maghreb; the titles are written in larger text than the rest. It is in the form of an urjuza, which means it is written in poetic style, rhymed in the rajaz metre. When compared with Virgil’s Georgics, this urjuza contains far fewer rhetorical passages or poetic ornamentation. According to Joaquina Eguaras, the Author “masters the rajaz metre with ease and treats his subject in the most prosaic of terms and with constant objectivity”.

In writing his treatise, Ibn Luyun drew from works originating from both the east and west of the Islamic empire and used both contemporary and earlier works. He referred to books from al-Andalus such as the work of al-Tignari and Ibn Bassal or al-Hakim’s Cordoba calendar of 961. He also used oriental books: Kitâb fî lahn al-‘amma by Ibn Hisham al-Lakhmi or The Book of Plants by Abû Hanîfa al-Dînawarî as well as passages by Avicenne al-Zubaydi and al-Asma’i. Even the Greek and Latin scholars are mentioned: Anaxagoras, Empedocles, Democritus, Aristotle, Philo and Galen and Columella.

He defined the art of agriculture, described the conditions and techniques in use in al-Andalus and made a study of the four essential elements: the soil, water, fertilizer, and labour. One of the mast remarkable passages, where the author really shows his inspiration, speaks of the layout and location of houses in the country…

“On the subject of what must be taken into consideration in order to successfully find a location for a garden, a house or a farm: If you are considering a house surrounded by gardens, it should be situated on raised ground in order to facilitate guarding the house. The house should face the midday sun and be situated on the edge of the plot of land. The well and pond should be placed on the highest ground and even better just a well should be built, with a narrow canalisation flowing through the shaded parts of the land. The house should be equipped with two doors in order to better protect it and to make the everyday life of the inhabitants easier. Near the pond, a stand of trees should be planted and maintained green for the pleasure of the eyes. A little further away, square plots of land should be reserved for flowers and evergreen trees. The property should be surrounded by vines and along the pathways arbours should be planted. The garden should be bordered by one of these paths in order to separate it from the rest of the property. Apart from vines, other fruit trees should be planted such as the Celtis, as its wood will be found very useful.”