The Annunciation to Mary, Mother of Jesus, in Medieval Christian and Islamic Art of the Book

There have been countless interpretations and versions of this annunciation, some of which were portrayed in miniature paintings depicting the events in lines and colors. The University of Edinburgh has an embellished copy of a book by Abi Rayhan al-Biruni titled Al-Athar al-Baqiya ‘an al-Qurun al-Khaliiyyah (The Chronology of Nations). The copy, which came from the city of Tabriz and goes back to 1307, includes 24 miniatures, mostly religious. At the back of page 166, there is a drawing of Mary’s annunciation, along with a chapter titled ‘A Comment on What Christian Melkites use in Syriac Months’. We conclude here that this Islamic drawing adorns a church calendar pertinent to the Greek Orthodox denomination, passed on by al-Bayruni in the city of Khawrizm in Khurassan. It is a depiction of Annunciation Day that falls on the 25th of March. According to the manuscript, this occasion is known as: ‘The Entry Holiday’, which marks Gabriel’s coming to Mary with the good news of the birth of the Messiah in nine months, five days, and a little more, which is the natural period of the baby’s stay in the mother’s womb. And even though Jesus was without the fatherhood of a man but was supported by the Holy Spirit, he was to stay in the womb according to nature”