Abulfeda of Damascus (1273-1331)

Abulfeda of Damascus (1273-1331) was a historian and geographer born in Damascus. His uncle was governor of Hamah, in Syria, and in his service Abulfeda participated in campaigns against the Crusaders, taking part in the sieges of Tripoli and Acre. In 1298, he entered the service of the Mameluke Sultan al-Malik al-Nasir, but in 1310 he returned to Hamah as its governor. In recognition of his faithfulness, he received the title of prince in 1312 and of sultan in 1320.

He was a successful ruler, establishing prosperity in his domains and erecting rather luxurious princely residences at Hamah. He himself gained his most fame as a writer, on the basis of two monumental works. The first, Tarikh al-Mukhtasar fi Akhbar al-Bashar, is a general history of the Moslem world from 622 to 1329; in it Abulfeda included much on Arabic literature and culture. The second, Taqwim al-Buldan, is a geography of the most important regions of the Moslem world, giving descriptive material on lands and cities.