Zakariya ibn Muhammad ibn Mahmoud Qazwini, a distinguished 7th-century Iranian scholar, was a geographer, historian, and philosopher. In his youth, he moved to Damascus, where he studied under renowned figures such as Ezz al-Din Abhari and Ibn Arabi. Qazwini held various judicial positions in Iraq, and after the Mongol invasion that led to the fall of Baghdad, he devoted himself to research and teaching. A true polymath, he made significant contributions to a wide range of disciplines including geography, astronomy, geology, and natural sciences. Western scholars regard him as one of the greatest cosmologists of the Islamic world.

One of his most notable works, Aja’ib al-Makhluqat wa Gharayib al-Mawjudat (The Wonders of Creation and the Rarities of Existence), delves into the extraordinary features and mysteries of the natural world. The book opens with four introductory chapters: defining the terms “wonder” and “rarity,” classifying living beings, and categorizing them based on Greek philosophical principles, particularly those of Aristotle. The text is structured into two main sections: the first explores the celestial realm (heavens and stars), while the second focuses on the terrestrial world, covering elements, minerals, plants, and animals.

This manuscript, one of the oldest surviving copies of the book, was written in 678 AH and is housed in the Leiden University Library under catalog number 464. It is beautifully illustrated in the Mongol style.