the Islamic year 158 hijra (158h)[^3], which runs from AD 774 Nov to AD 775 Oct. In most cases, [*al-abar*]{}*ī* quotes and mentions the source(s) of his reports. See, e.g., Kennedy (1990) and Sezgin (1967) for more details about [*al-abar*]{}*ī* and his chronicle.

[*Al-abar*]{}*ī* reports briefly about the year 157h (running from AD 773 Nov to AD 774 Nov), for which he does not report any celestial or otherwise peculiar event. The report about the next year (158h) is much more detailed, because the caliph [*Abū Ja$^{\rm c}$far $^{\rm c}$Abdallāh ibn Muammad al-Manūr*]{} (short: [*Abū Ja$^{\rm c}$far*]{} or [*al-Manūr*]{}) died in that year. [*Al-abar*]{}*ī* reports in detail the events in the weeks before and after his death.

As part of the events leading to the death of caliph [*al-Manūr*]{}, [*al-abar*]{}*ī* reports at two occasions of his chronicle about a peculiar transient celestial event. The two Arabic reports in [*al-abar*]{}*ī* are almost identical.

The Arabic texts are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 from the Leiden edition of the [*History of al-abar*]{}*ī* (de Goeje 1879).

[![image](Tabari-img1.eps){width="17cm"}]{}

[![image](Tabari-img3.eps){width="17cm"}]{}

The first appearance of the celestial event is mentioned within a report about [*al-Manūr*]{}‘s illness, which was probably the cause for his death. The 