Ibn Zaydan al-Sijilmasi
- Died
- 1365 AH
- Born in
- -
Ibn Zaydan al-Sijilmasi (1290–1365 AH / 1873–1946 CE) was a Moroccan historian, scholar, and member of the ruling Alaouite dynasty, renowned for his extensive historical and biographical chronicle of Meknes, Ithaf A'lam al-Nas bi-Jamal Akhbar Hadirat Meknas .
Lineage and Education
Abu Zayd 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Ali ibn Zaydan ibn Isma'il ibn al-Sharif al-Hasani al-'Alawi al-Sijilmasi, also known by the honorific Mawlay al-Kabir, was born in Meknes (Miknasat al-Zaytun) in 1290 AH (1873 CE) . He was raised and received his early education in his native city before pursuing higher traditional learning at the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, completing his studies there in 1324 AH .
Public Life and Scholarly Career
A notable figure within the Alaouite nobility, he served as the naqib (syndic) of the sharifs in Meknes and Zarhun . He later moved to Casablanca, where he directed the Moroccan Military Academy (al-Madrasa al-Harbiyya) . He traveled twice to Egypt while undertaking the pilgrimage to Mecca, first in 1331 AH and again in 1357 AH .
Owing to his high standing and close kinship with the royal house, Sultan Muhammad ibn Yusuf addressed him as "our cousin, syndic of our family, and historian of our state" . Over the course of his career, he amassed one of the largest private manuscript libraries in Morocco, which came to be known as al-Khizana al-Zaydaniyya . His primary scholarly contributions centered on Moroccan historiography and dynastic heritage, including his major municipal and biographical history Ithaf A'lam al-Nas bi-Jamal Akhbar Hadirat Meknas and his study of Alaouite monuments in Fez, al-Durar al-Fakhira bi-Ma'athir al-Muluk al-'Alawiyyin bi-Fas al-Zahira .
Death
Ibn Zaydan died in Meknes at half past one in the afternoon on Saturday, 21 Dhu al-Hijjah 1365 AH (November 1946 CE), and was buried in his native city .
Answer updated
List of Works
Ithaf A'lam al-Nas bi-Jamal Akhbar Hadirat Meknes is an encyclopedic history and biographical dictionary of the Moroccan city of Meknes. Also bearing the alternative titles 'Abir al-As min Rawd Tarikh Meknas and Husn al-Iqtibas min Mafakhir al-Dawla al-'Alawiyya wa-Tarikh Meknas, the work compiles an exhaustive record of the city from its ancient foundations and early dynasties down to the modern period, with particular emphasis on the monuments and affairs of the Alaouite dynasty.