08-01-2026, 11:06 AM
Several authors have already proposed the idea that the VM is a women's health manual. There are several reasons for thinking along this line: a disproportionate amount of attention given to the female body in the manuscript, the taboo nature (and therefore willingness to encode) such a subject matter, as well as other sexually explicit imagery. Nonetheless, this is difficult to prove as the different themes in the manuscript cannot be linked to a specific set of contemporary practices, places or objects.
In my opinion this is not true, and I can give three arguments in favor of there being Arabic or Persian inspiration for women's health practices in the book.
Argument 1: The balneary section (the baths) are depictions of 15th century Hammams
A Hammam is basically an Arabic bathhouse. It features many advanced technologies such as a sophisticated tube system, gravity-assisted water provenance, and water spouts coming from walls, an early form of the shower concept. They were also heated, and had steam inside. Note that while these were totally absent in European baths at that time, Arabic Hammams in the 15th century were already equipped with these.
There are many examples, one of them being the Hammam al-Mokhfiya, in Morocco, built in the late 14th century. Another one is the Hammam as-Sarah, in Jordan. This latter already had a complex system of pipes built in. You can find an archeological survey about this bath here: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Some of these baths were powered using Qanats, another islamic invention for a dynamic underground water supply system. Many folios, including You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. in the VM, could allude to such a system. Here is a description of a Qanat: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Qanats were initially used for irrigation, but then also for other water supplies, such as hammams. In this picture, you can see the cross-section of a Qanat system, which reminds one of some of the VM tube drawings: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Another point of similarity with the VM is that it depicts baths with only women in them, and the concept of gender-segregated hammams was already common in Arabic hammams (sometimes called "hammam al-nisa"). There are several depictions of muslim baths with only women in them, in contemporary arabic miniatures, easy to find on internet.
Finally, in hammams, the pools were often connected to one another using pipes in which water flowed. This is reminiscent of folio f78r, or f81r, for example, which show exactly such a scene. On top of the image, you can even see what I believe is a system of pipes coming from a Qanat.
On folio f81v, you can see water being supplied to what appears (to me) to be a hammam supplied with water from a hammam pipe coming from a Qanat.
On folio f75r, you can see a woman in the middle enjoying the hammam bath water. I believe that is because the water is warm, which is typical of contemporary hammams.
On folio f82v, you can see women standing in small pools of water. This seems to me to be the part of the hammam where you clean your body before you actually enter the pool.
So it seems to me, that the idea that the balneary section depicts islamic hammams, seems to "fit" with the images in the manuscript. Of course, I could be totally wrong, too.
Argument 2: The containers and vessels might depict contemporary Persian oil lamps
The containers on folios f88/f89 have been the subjects of many debates. Are they ink vessels or apothecary storages? To me, they look like oil lamps. While not available in Europe at the time of the carbon dating of the VM, such lamps were available since the 11th century already in Persia. What makes them stand out as candidates to the VM vessels (as opposed to ink stands or apothecary bottles), are the following features: (1) the tripods are characteristic to oil lamps of that time in Persia, (2) the multi-layered design of the containers is typical of such lamps, and (3) many lamps were either decorated in blue paint or covered in copper, which then fades away with time and becomes green, which is what we see in the images of the VM.
Here are a few examples: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..
Note that these would have been colored at the time of creation.
Argument 3: An Arabic or Arabic-inspired women's health manual would be worth encrypting to avoid persecution
Women's health was already a taboo at that time, women preferred talking to each other in order to exchange ideas or secrets about gynecology, menstruation and other health topics, instead of putting everything into a book. So a book on this subject, especially with foreign (non-Christian) origin or inspiration, would definitely be a cause for enciphering its contents.
This might (or might not) also explain why there are no mentions of Jesus or other Christian symbols in the entire manuscript.
Finally, I will add that the calendar section is heavily focusing on the Moon and its phases, which is the typical time keeping method in Arabic/Islamic countries and cultures at that exact time.
So, could it be that the VM is inspired by Arabic women's health secrets? Or perhaps a translation from an Arabic health manuscript? What do you think?
In my opinion this is not true, and I can give three arguments in favor of there being Arabic or Persian inspiration for women's health practices in the book.
Argument 1: The balneary section (the baths) are depictions of 15th century Hammams
A Hammam is basically an Arabic bathhouse. It features many advanced technologies such as a sophisticated tube system, gravity-assisted water provenance, and water spouts coming from walls, an early form of the shower concept. They were also heated, and had steam inside. Note that while these were totally absent in European baths at that time, Arabic Hammams in the 15th century were already equipped with these.
There are many examples, one of them being the Hammam al-Mokhfiya, in Morocco, built in the late 14th century. Another one is the Hammam as-Sarah, in Jordan. This latter already had a complex system of pipes built in. You can find an archeological survey about this bath here: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Some of these baths were powered using Qanats, another islamic invention for a dynamic underground water supply system. Many folios, including You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. in the VM, could allude to such a system. Here is a description of a Qanat: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Qanats were initially used for irrigation, but then also for other water supplies, such as hammams. In this picture, you can see the cross-section of a Qanat system, which reminds one of some of the VM tube drawings: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Another point of similarity with the VM is that it depicts baths with only women in them, and the concept of gender-segregated hammams was already common in Arabic hammams (sometimes called "hammam al-nisa"). There are several depictions of muslim baths with only women in them, in contemporary arabic miniatures, easy to find on internet.
Finally, in hammams, the pools were often connected to one another using pipes in which water flowed. This is reminiscent of folio f78r, or f81r, for example, which show exactly such a scene. On top of the image, you can even see what I believe is a system of pipes coming from a Qanat.
On folio f81v, you can see water being supplied to what appears (to me) to be a hammam supplied with water from a hammam pipe coming from a Qanat.
On folio f75r, you can see a woman in the middle enjoying the hammam bath water. I believe that is because the water is warm, which is typical of contemporary hammams.
On folio f82v, you can see women standing in small pools of water. This seems to me to be the part of the hammam where you clean your body before you actually enter the pool.
So it seems to me, that the idea that the balneary section depicts islamic hammams, seems to "fit" with the images in the manuscript. Of course, I could be totally wrong, too.
Argument 2: The containers and vessels might depict contemporary Persian oil lamps
The containers on folios f88/f89 have been the subjects of many debates. Are they ink vessels or apothecary storages? To me, they look like oil lamps. While not available in Europe at the time of the carbon dating of the VM, such lamps were available since the 11th century already in Persia. What makes them stand out as candidates to the VM vessels (as opposed to ink stands or apothecary bottles), are the following features: (1) the tripods are characteristic to oil lamps of that time in Persia, (2) the multi-layered design of the containers is typical of such lamps, and (3) many lamps were either decorated in blue paint or covered in copper, which then fades away with time and becomes green, which is what we see in the images of the VM.
Here are a few examples: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..
Note that these would have been colored at the time of creation.
Argument 3: An Arabic or Arabic-inspired women's health manual would be worth encrypting to avoid persecution
Women's health was already a taboo at that time, women preferred talking to each other in order to exchange ideas or secrets about gynecology, menstruation and other health topics, instead of putting everything into a book. So a book on this subject, especially with foreign (non-Christian) origin or inspiration, would definitely be a cause for enciphering its contents.
This might (or might not) also explain why there are no mentions of Jesus or other Christian symbols in the entire manuscript.
Finally, I will add that the calendar section is heavily focusing on the Moon and its phases, which is the typical time keeping method in Arabic/Islamic countries and cultures at that exact time.
So, could it be that the VM is inspired by Arabic women's health secrets? Or perhaps a translation from an Arabic health manuscript? What do you think?