Khalid ibn Yazid
In alchemy, Kalid refers to a historical figure, Khalid ibn Yazid (died 704). He was an Umayyad prince, a brother of Muawiyah II[1] who was briefly caliph. Prince Khalid lost the chance of inheriting the title, but took an interest in the study of alchemy, in Egypt. A book collector,[2] he facilitated translations into Arabic of the existing literature. It is to this Khalid that later allusions to Calid rex (King Calid) refer.[3][4][5]
Attributions to Calid
It is contested whether the attributions to Khalid ibn Yazid of alchemical writing are justified.[6][Notes 2] A popular legend has him consulting a Byzantine monk Marianos (Morienus the Greek).[Notes 3] The Liber de compositione alchimiae, which was the first alchemical work translated from Arabic to Latin (by Robert of Chester in 1144)[7] was purportedly an epistle of Marianos to Khalid.
Another traditional attribution is of the Liber Trium Verborum.[Notes 4] Forms as Calid filius Ysidri[Notes 5] attempt to distinguish ibn Yazid from others named Calid. Calid filius Hahmil certainly intends ibn Umail. There is a Calid filius Jaici mentioned by Jean-Jacques Manget, who includes an attributed Liber Secretorum Artis in his 1702 compilation Bibliotheca Curiosa Chemica.
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