Ashtori HaParchi’s Map in Kaftor Vaferach and its History

Authors

  • Amichay Schwartz

Keywords:

maps, manuscripts, Ashtori HaParchi, Kaftor Vaferach

Abstract

Ashtori Haparchi’s Kaftor Vaferach contains a significant amount of geographical material, but the author is not recognized as a cartographer and the map that included in his book is practically unmentioned in research literature. This article examines two maps that are associated with Kaftor Vaferach: the so-called Milan map and the Bassola map. The Milan map is found at the end of the Milan manuscript of Kaftor Vaferach and was drawn by the same scribe who copied the book. The Bassola map was transferred, under unknown circumstances, to the 16th century travel book of the Italian Jew, Moshe Bassola. For a long time, researchers assumed that this map was based on and referred to Bassola’s own travels. These two maps have not been addressed together and their relationship has not been clarified. The article depicts that although there isn't enough evidence that Ashtori drew his own map, at some stage, the above-mentioned maps were made.

This article demonstrates that, surprisingly, the Bassola map is more precise and closer to Ashtori's original, even though it is not physically part of a copy of Kaftor Vaferach. From an analysis of the handwriting and the captions on the maps it seems that each is based on a different manuscript. The Milan map is based on the Milan manuscript to which it is appended and the Bassola map has an affinity to the Oxford manuscript of Kaftor Vaferach. However, the latter map was not copied directly from the Oxford manuscript but from a similar manuscript that the library of Yitchak Sholall, the last Nagid.

The article tracks the whereabouts of Bassola map from the Nagid’s library to Moshe Bassola's book and shows that it was one of several documents that Bassola included in his book, demonstrating the close relationship between Bassola and Sholall. The same copy of Kaftor Vaferach in Yitchak Sholall’s library was the vorlage of the editio princeps of Kaftor Vaferach in the mid-16th century. However, as in other instances of Hebrew maps and drawings, the map was omitted in the printed book. Fortunately, it survived in Bassola's work.

Published

2024-07-21

How to Cite

Schwartz, A. (2024). Ashtori HaParchi’s Map in Kaftor Vaferach and its History. Sidra, 36, 17. Retrieved from https://biupress.org/index.php/sidra/article/view/125

Issue

Section

מאמרים