An Ayyubid notable and his world
Subtitle: Ibn al-ʻAdīm and Aleppo as portrayed in his biological dictionary of people associated with the city
By: by David Morray.
Series: Islamic history and civilization. Studies and texts,; vol. 5; Islamic history and civilization.; v. 5.
Publisher: E.J. Brill
Published: 1994
Place of publication: Leiden; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 235
Subjects: Ibn al-ʻAdīm, Kamāl al-Dīn ʻUmar ibn Aḥmad, 1192-1262.; Aleppo (Syria) -- Biography.
Description: This book examines the life and milieu of the thirteenth-century northern Syrian statesman and author Ibn al-Adim, as reflected in his principal work, the dictionary of people associated with his native Aleppo, the Bughyat al-talab fi tarikh Halab. The book is an examination of the text, in particular Ibn al-Adim's biographies of his contemporaries, and a discussion of topics suggested by the material.

These include the influence of different groups within Aleppo, why and how the dictionary was written, and the personality of the author himself. The study adds social, literary and human dimensions to our knowledge of the place and period. It is also a lucid guide to a long neglected source, the extant Arabic text of which has only recently been published in full.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [206]-217) and indexes.