Richards Egypt and Syria in the Early Mamluk Period

An Extract from Ibn Fadl Allah Al-‘Umari Masalik Al-Absar Fi Mamalik Al-Amsar
Erscheinungsjahr 2016
ISBN: 978-1-315-45879-3
Verlag: Taylor & Francis
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 128 Seiten

Offering the first modern English translation of an extract from Masalik al-absar by Ibn Fadl Allah al-`Umari, this book contains a description of Egypt and Syria under the Mamluks in the first half of the fourteenth century A.D. in terms of physical and administrative geography and also of society and the organisation and functioning of the state. This period, the third reign of al-Nasir Muhammad, has been characterised as the high water-mark of the regime. The author, Shihab al-Din Ahmad ibn Yahya al-‘Umari, known as Ibn Fadl Allah, was a member of a family of Syrian origin, the Banu Fadl Allah. Several of them held high office in the Mamluk state. Because of family connections with the ruling elite the picture presented is an authoritative one, which formed the basis of similar accounts by later Mamluk writers.

A compendium of all the multifarious knowledge that a typical katib, might aspire to possess, Masalik al-absar combines prominent literary genres (such as poetry and belletristic prose, prosopography, historical chronicle and the fada’il literature) with sacred topography, politics and social concerns. As such this book will be essential reading for anyone wishing to better understand the functioning and motivations of the early Mamluke state.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Richards, D. S.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Naher & Mittlerer Osten

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface Key to Abbreviated References: Arabic Texts and Secondary Sources. Introduction: The Fadl Allah Family. The Family Tree of Fadl Allah. Shihab al-Din Ahmad (Ibn Fadl Allah) al-‘Umari: His Career and His Works. The Translation: Concerning the Realm of Egypt, Syria and the Hijaz

Über Autor(innen)

D.S. Richards is retired as lecturer in Arabic at the Oriental Institute, and is emeritus fellow of St Cross College, University of Oxford, UK. He is an accomplished scholar and translator, and his previous works include translations of the history of Ibn al-Athir and the life of Saladin.