al-Hawadith al-Jamia wa al-Tajarib al-Nafia
- Author died
- 723 AH
- Editions
- al-Hawadith al-Jamia wa al-Tajarib al-Nafia
al-Hawadith al-Jamia wa al-Tajarib al-Nafia (All-Encompassing Events and Useful Experiences) is an Arabic chronicle of the seventh century AH attributed to the Iraqi historian and librarian Ibn al-Fuwati (642–723 AH / 1244–1323 CE) . Arranged as an annalistic record, it documents the political, social, and intellectual history of Iraq during the late Abbasid caliphate and the early Ilkhanid period .
Authorship and Identification
In classical bio-bibliographical literature, the work is cited under related titles. Ibn Rajab noted that scholars other than al-Dhahabi attributed to Ibn al-Fuwati a compilation of obituaries beginning from the year 600 AH under the title al-Hawadith al-Jamia wa al-Tajarib al-Nafia al-Waqiah fi al-Miat al-Sabia, while al-Dhahabi referred to it as Kitab Hawadith al-Miat al-Sabia wa ila an Mat . Hajji Khalifa likewise listed the chronicle under Ibn al-Fuwati's name in Kashf al-Zunun, identifying it among his historical writings alongside his biographical dictionary Majma al-Adab and his continuation of Ibn al-Sai's chronicle .
Because surviving manuscripts lack the author's opening and front matter, the work was initially referenced anonymously by modern scholars, including Yusuf Ghanima, who cited it as an anonymous history of Iraq under the Mongols . The Iraqi researcher Ya'qub Na'um Sarkis proposed identifying the text with Ibn al-Fuwati's al-Hawadith al-Jamia, a conclusion subsequently adopted by its modern editors, though some contemporary catalogers and researchers continue to classify it as an attributed or anonymous work .
Manuscript and Publication
The primary witness of the chronicle survived in an incomplete manuscript whose opening had been lost, preserving annals from the year 626 AH (1228/1229 CE) down to 700 AH (1300/1301 CE) . A modern transcription of this text, based on a copy in the collection of Ahmad Taymur Pasha, entered the library of Father Anastase-Marie de Saint-Élie .
The Iraqi scholar Mustafa Jawad prepared the editio princeps based on Anastase-Marie's manuscript, financed by the bookseller Nu'man al-A'zami, and published it in Baghdad in 1351 AH / 1932 CE under the title al-Hawadith al-Jamia wa al-Tajarib al-Nafia fi al-Miat al-Sabia .
Scope and Contents
The extant text proceeds year by year from 626 to 700 AH, recording local events in Baghdad and broader developments across Iraq :
- The Fall of Baghdad (656 AH / 1258 CE): The chronicle offers a detailed firsthand eyewitness perspective of the Mongol siege led by Hulagu, the execution of Caliph al-Musta'sim and members of the Abbasid dynasty, the burning of the city and the Caliph's Mosque, and the massacre of its inhabitants, estimating the death toll within Baghdad at over 800,000 .
- Topography and Urban Disasters: The text documents major floods of the Tigris, notably the devastating inundations of 646 AH and 654 AH that submerged western and eastern quarters of Baghdad, damaged surrounding settlements, and prompted the movement of boats through market streets . It also records institutional landmarks, such as the inaugural opening of the Mustansiriyya Madrasa in 631 AH and the location of the Sharabiyya Madrasa in Suq al-Ajam on the east bank of the city .
- Administrative and Cultural Life: Each year typically concludes with obituaries of scholars, administrators, and notables, alongside descriptions of official appointments, court ceremonies, visits of regional rulers, and public festivities, including crossbow shooting displays at Bab al-Badriyya .
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