Ali ibn al-Athir
Encyclopedia
Abu al-Hassan Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad, better known as Ali 'Izz al-Din Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari(Arabic: عزالدین ابن الاثیر الجزری)
(1233–1160) was a Kurdish Muslim historian from the Ibn Athir
family. According to the 1911 Edition of Encyclopædia Britannica, he was born in Jazirat Ibn Umar
, Great Seljuq Empire
.
, but often visited Baghdad
. He was a Kurd, therefore for a time he was with Saladin
's army in Syria
and later lived in Aleppo
and Damascus
. His chief work was a history of the world, al-Kamil fi at-Tarikh (The Complete History).
He includes some information on the Rus' people
in his chronology.
(1233–1160) was a Kurdish Muslim historian from the Ibn Athir
Ibn Athir
Ibn Athīr is the family name of three brothers, all famous in Arabian literature, born at Jazīrat ibn Umar in Cizre nowadays in south-eastern Turkey.-Majd ad-Dīn:...
family. According to the 1911 Edition of Encyclopædia Britannica, he was born in Jazirat Ibn Umar
Cizre
Cizre is a town and district of Şırnak Province in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, located at the border to Syria, just to the north-west of the Turkish-Syrian-Iraqi tripoint....
, Great Seljuq Empire
Great Seljuq Empire
The Great Seljuq Empire was a medieval Persianate, Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire, originating from the Qynyq branch of Oghuz Turks. The Seljuq Empire controlled a vast area stretching from the Hindu Kush to eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf...
.
Biography
He spent a scholarly life in MosulMosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
, but often visited Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. He was a Kurd, therefore for a time he was with Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
's army in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and later lived in Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
and Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. His chief work was a history of the world, al-Kamil fi at-Tarikh (The Complete History).
He includes some information on the Rus' people
Rus' (people)
The Rus' were a group of Varangians . According to the Primary Chronicle of Rus, compiled in about 1113 AD, the Rus had relocated from the Baltic region , first to Northeastern Europe, creating an early polity which finally came under the leadership of Rurik...
in his chronology.
Works
- Al-Kāmil fī al-tārīkh: "The Complete History"
- Al-Tārīkh al-bāhir fī al-Dawlah al-Atābakīyah bi-al-Mawṣil
- Usd al-ghābah fi ma‘rifat al-ṣaḥābah: "The Lions of the Forest and the knowledge about the Companions"
- Al-Lubāb fī tahdhīb al-ansāb
See also
- List of Muslim historians
- List of Islamic scholars
- Ibn AthirIbn AthirIbn Athīr is the family name of three brothers, all famous in Arabian literature, born at Jazīrat ibn Umar in Cizre nowadays in south-eastern Turkey.-Majd ad-Dīn:...
- Ibn Fadlan
- Ibn Rustah
- Varangian
External links
- http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9041903
- Ibn al-Athīr's Accounts of the Rūs: A Commentary and Translation by William E. Watson from Canadian/American Slavic Studies
- http://www.lib.umich.edu/area/Near.East/islhist.html
- http://www.bogvaerker.dk/Bookwright/rijal.html
- Kurds and Kurdistan, Encyclopaedia of Islam.