Abd al-Rahman ibn Zaydan (1878–1946) was a Moroccan historian and literary author.
He was a great-grandson of sultan Moulay Ismael and is considered one of the best sources on the history of his native city Meknes

Meknes

Meknes is a city in northern Morocco, located from the capital Rabat and from Fes. It is served by the A2 expressway between those two cities and by the corresponding railway. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail , before it was relocated to Marrakech. The...

, but also on the Alaouite dynasty

Alaouite Dynasty

The Alaouite Dynasty is the name of the current Moroccan royal family. The name Alaouite comes from the ‘Alī of its founder Moulay Ali Cherif who became Prince of Tafilalt in 1631. His son Mulay r-Rshid was able to unite and pacify the country...

. After the installation of the French protectorat he accepted the function of vice-director of the military school of Dâr al-Bayda in Meknes

Meknes

Meknes is a city in northern Morocco, located from the capital Rabat and from Fes. It is served by the A2 expressway between those two cities and by the corresponding railway. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail , before it was relocated to Marrakech. The...

, today's military academy of the city. The Ithaf, his main work of 8 volumes comprehends hundreds of biographies, like those of the sultans Abderrahman

Abderrahmane of Morocco

Moulay Sharif Abderrahmane was sultan of Morocco from 1822 to 1859. He was a member of the Alaouite dynasty.-Biography:He was born in 1778. His reign began at the start of the French occupation of Algeria...

 and Hassan I.