Izz al-Din Ibn Shaddad
- Died
- 684 AH
- Born in
- Aleppo
Izz al-Din Ibn Shaddad (613–684 AH / 1217–1285 CE) was an Aleppine historian and chancery official known for his historical-topographical work al-Alaq al-Khatira fi Dhikr Umara al-Sham wa al-Jazira (The Precious Necklaces Concerning the Rulers of Syria and the Jazira) and his biography of Sultan Baybars.
Life and Administrative Career
His full name was Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Shaddad ibn Khalifa, Abu Abd Allah al-Ansari al-Halabi, with some sources giving variations in the arrangement of his lineage. He was born in Aleppo on 6 Dhu al-Hijjah 613 AH (with other accounts citing 3 Dhu al-Hijjah, or the year 623 AH).
Ibn Shaddad pursued a career in chancery writing and state administration, serving as a trusted confidant of the Ayyubid ruler of Aleppo, al-Nasir Yusuf. Al-Nasir dispatched him on diplomatic missions to the Mongol Ilkhan Hulagu, as well as to the rulers of Mosul and Mayyafariqin. He also travelled to Harran and Egypt. Following the Mongol conquest of Aleppo in 658 AH, Ibn Shaddad permanently settled in Cairo.
In Egypt, he was held in high regard at the Mamluk court during the reigns of Sultan al-Zahir Baybars and Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun. When Sultan Baybars died, Ibn Shaddad represented his successor, Sultan al-Sa'id Barakah, at the mourning ceremonies held in Damascus.
Scholarly Standing and Death
Ibn Shaddad was recognized by biographers as an accomplished prose stylist, historian, and man of letters, remembered for his affability, generosity, and readiness to intercede on behalf of people seeking assistance. In hadith, he transmitted reports from the Ayyubid prince al-Malik al-Mu'azzam Turanshah ibn Salah al-Din, and scholars in Cairo heard and transmitted traditions from him. Besides his topographical survey of Syria and Upper Mesopotamia, his historical writings included a monograph on the life and reign of Baybars, Sirat al-Malik al-Zahir, and a local chronicle of his native city, Tarikh Halab.
Ibn Shaddad died in Cairo on Wednesday, 27 Safar 684 AH (another report gives 17 Safar; one isolated report places his death in Damascus at the age of seventy-one). He was buried at the foot of Mount al-Muqattam in the Qarafa cemetery. An absentee funeral prayer was performed for him in Damascus on 18 Rabi' al-Awwal 684 AH.
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Alaq al-Khatira fi Dhikr Umara al-Sham wa al-Jazira (The Precious Necklaces Concerning the Rulers of Syria and the Jazira) is a historical and topographical work chronicling the regions, monuments, and rulers of Syria and Upper Mesopotamia (al-Jazira).