Detailed Excerpts from Zakariyā al-Qazwīnī's ʿAjāʾib al-Makhlūqāt wa-Gharāʾib al-Mawjūdāt Zakariyā al-Qazwīnī's (c. 1203–1283 CE) Wonders of Creation (often abbreviated as Aja'ib al-Makhluqat ) is a seminal medieval Islamic cosmography that synthesizes Qur'anic theology, Aristotelian science, pre-Islamic folklore, and traveler's tales into a hierarchical catalog of the universe. Divided into celestial (angels, spheres) and terrestrial (elements, humans, animals, jinn, and hybrids) sections, it devotes significant space—over 100 folios in many manuscripts—to supernatural beings like jinn, ghouls ( ghūl ), and hybrid "hill people" (e.g., Nasnās, associated with remote mountain tribes). These are portrayed as flawed, passionate creatures between angels and beasts, often inhabiting desolate mountains, caves, or islands, where they interact with humans as tricksters, allies, or devourers. Al-Qazwīnī's style is encyclopedic and moralistic: he cites hadith...
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