Khalid al-Balawi
- Died
- 768 AH
- Born in
- Cordoba
Khalid al-Balawi (d. after 767 AH / 1365 CE) was an Andalusian Maliki jurist, judge, and traveler, best known for his pilgrimage travelogue Taj al-Mufarraq fi Tahliyat Ulama al-Mashriq (The Crown of the Parting of the Head in Adorning the Scholars of the East) .
Lineage and Career
He was Abu al-Baqa' Alam al-Din Khalid ibn Isa ibn Ahmad ibn Ibrahim ibn Abi Khalid (also recorded as Ibn Abi Talib) al-Balawi . He was born in Cordoba . Al-Balawi later took up residence in Qanturiyyah (Cantoria), a fortress situated in the valley of Wadi al-Mansurah (Almanzora), where he held judicial office as its qadi .
Travels and Later Life
Al-Balawi embarked on a journey to the East to perform the Hajj in the Hijaz, an expedition that began in 737 AH and concluded in 740 AH . On his return journey, he resided for a time in Tunis, where he served as a secretary for its ruler before returning home to al-Andalus . Biographical notices note that he adopted Eastern manners in both appearance and dialect, and dyed his beard with henna and katam .
He recorded the itinerary, scholars, and observations of his journey in Taj al-Mufarraq fi Tahliyat Ulama al-Mashriq, completing its composition in Rabi' al-Awwal 767 AH; the historian Ahmad al-Maqqari described the work as being rich in beneficial insights . Sources date his death to after 767 AH, with other reports placing it after 768 AH, after 737 AH, or noting that he was alive in 740 AH .
Answer updated
List of Works
Taj al-Mufarraq fi Tahliyat Ulama al-Mashriq, commonly known as Rihlat al-Balawi, is a 14th-century travelogue that records a journey from al-Andalus to the Maghrib, Egypt, and the Hijaz to perform the pilgrimage and meet notable scholars of the era. Compiled in Rabi' al-Awwal 767 AH, the text combines geographical itinerary, personal memoir, and biographical dictionaries, documenting visits to urban centers, holy sites, and devotional poetry alongside detailed biographical entries and teaching licenses for teachers and scholars encountered across the Islamic East and West.