Zaynab Fawwaz
- Died
- 1332 AH
- Born in
- -
Zaynab Fawwaz (ca. 1262–1332 AH / 1846–1914 CE; also dated 1276–1332 AH / 1860–1914 CE) was an Ottoman-era Lebanese writer, essayist, and historian based in Egypt, best known for her biographical compendium of women, al-Durr al-manthur fi tabaqat rabbat al-khudur .
Lineage and early life
She was Zaynab bint Ali ibn Husayn ibn Ubayd Allah (also recorded as Abd Allah) ibn Hasan ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al Fawwaz al-Amiliyya al-Misriyya . She was born in the village of Tibnin in the region of Jabal Amil in southern Syria (modern Lebanon) . Sources differ regarding her birth year: one report dates it to around 1262 AH (1846 CE), while another places it in 1276 AH (1860 CE) .
Education, travels, and career
Fawwaz relocated to Egypt, where she pursued her education in Alexandria . There, she studied under the poet and journalist Hasan Husni al-Tuwayrani, the publisher of the newspaper al-Nil, under whose mentorship she began writing and achieved public recognition . She later moved to Cairo . Fawwaz also traveled to Damascus, where she married the writer Adib Nazmi al-Dimashqi; however, the marriage ended in separation shortly thereafter, after which she returned to reside in Cairo .
In her literary career, Fawwaz authored prose, historical surveys, journalism, and early Arabic fiction, including the novel Husn al-awaqib ("Good Consequences") . A selection of her journalistic essays and correspondence was assembled in al-Rasa'il al-zaynabiyya ("The Zaynabian Letters") . Her major reference work, al-Durr al-manthur fi tabaqat rabbat al-khudur ("The Scattered Pearls Concerning the Generations of the Mistresses of Seclusion"), was published at Bulaq in 1312 AH / 1894 CE in a single substantial volume comprising biographical entries for historical, literary, and royal women from Eastern and Western traditions .
Standing and death
Biographers praised Fawwaz as one of the most prominent female writers and historians of her generation, highlighting her learning, eloquence, and conversational refinement .
She died in Cairo in 1332 AH / 1914 CE, with one detailed report placing her death specifically on 20 Safar 1332 AH / 19 January 1914 CE .
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Durr al-Manthur fi Tabaqat Rabbat al-Khudur (The Scattered Pearls Concerning the Generations of the Mistresses of Seclusion) is a biographical dictionary of prominent women throughout world history. It gathers biographical entries on women across various eras and civilizations, encompassing female writers, poets, and historical figures from both the East and the West.