al-Alaq al-Khatira fi Dhikr Umara al-Sham wa al-Jazira
- Author died
- 684 AH
- Editions
- al-Alaq al-Khatira fi Dhikr Umara al-Sham wa al-Jazira
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 by the Aleppine historian and chancery official Izz al-Din Ibn Shaddad (613–684 AH / 1217–1285 CE; another report gives 691 AH), chronicling the regions, monuments, and rulers of Syria and Upper Mesopotamia (al-Jazira).
Background and Composition
Ibn Shaddad, who was born in Aleppo and served in administrative and chancery posts, resettled in Egypt following the Mongol conquest and devastation of Aleppo. In Egypt, he entered the service of the Mamluk sultan al-Zahir Baybars (r. 658–676 AH / 1260–1277 CE). In the preface to the work, Ibn Shaddad states that he composed the book after arriving in Egypt and experiencing the patronage and benefactions of Sultan Baybars.
Structure and Scope
The work is organized geographically into three major parts covering the principal regions of Bilad al-Sham and Upper Mesopotamia:
- Part One: Devoted to the history, districts, and urban monuments of northern Syria, centered on the city of Aleppo.
- Part Two: Divided into two main sections: the first treats the history and topography of Damascus, while the second covers Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine.
- Part Three: Divided into two sections focusing on the history, fortresses, and principal cities of Upper Mesopotamia (al-Jazira).
The book functions as both a political chronicle and a detailed survey of urban topography, religious endowments, fortifications, and regional rulers across the Levant and al-Jazira.
Modern Editions
Al-Alaq al-Khatira was published in several separate volumes and fascicles edited by various scholars:
- The Aleppo section was edited by Dominique Sourdel and published by the Institut Français de Damas in 1953. It was later re-edited in parts by Yahya Abbarah (Damascus, 1991) and Anne-Marie Eddé (published in the Bulletin d'études orientales, 1982).
- The second part, comprising Damascus and the regions of Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine, was edited by Sami al-Dahhan and published in Beirut and Damascus through the Institut Français de Damas between 1956 and 1963.
- The third part, covering al-Jazira in two volumes, was edited by Yahya Abbarah and published in Damascus by the Syrian Ministry of Culture in 1978.
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