al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi Dhikr al-Khitat wal-Athar

al-Mawa'iz wa-al-I'tibar bi-Dhikr al-Khitat wa-al-Athar (Exhortations and Reflections on the Record of Quarters and Monuments), commonly known as Khitat al-Maqrizi or al-Khitat, is an extensive historical and topographical work on Egypt and its Islamic capitals by the Egyptian historian Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi (766–845 AH / 1364–1442 CE) al-Imam al-Biqai wa Minha…+1.

Composition and Purpose

Al-Maqrizi began drafting the work following the period of crises and urban degradation that afflicted Egypt after 806 AH (1404 CE) during the second reign of Sultan al-Nasir Faraj ibn Barquq, when many older buildings and endowments were altered or destroyed al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…. He continued updating and adding material to the manuscript over several decades, with additions documented as late as 843 AH (1439 CE), roughly two years before his death al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D….

In the introduction, al-Maqrizi explained that because the historical reports concerning Egypt were dispersed and lacked exact dating for earlier eras, he arranged the book topographically around urban quarters (khitat) and physical monuments (athar) rather than following a strict annalistic or biographical structure Kashf al-Zunun an Asami a…+1. He noted that observing the historical transformations, rise, and decline of these monuments served a moral and reflective purpose (itibar), encouraging ethical reflection and detachment from worldly permanence al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar bi D….

Structure and Content

Al-Maqrizi organized the work into seven principal parts (ajza'):

1. Geography and Revenues of Egypt: An overview of the geography of Egypt, the Nile, taxation (kharaj), and its mountains al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…+1.
2. Cities and Populations: Accounts of Egypt's provincial towns, the backgrounds of its peoples, ancient eras, and fiscal calendar conversions al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…+1.
3. The History of Fustat: The founding and development of Fustat, its governors, early quarters, subsequent settlements at al-Askar and al-Qata'i, and the causes of Fustat's destruction during the severe famine (al-shidda al-uzma) and fire al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…+1.
4. Cairo and the Fatimids: A comprehensive account of Cairo under the Fatimid Caliphate, describing its successive city walls, gates, and monuments down to the end of the dynasty in 567 AH (1171 CE) al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…+1.
5. Urban Topography of Cairo: Detailed descriptions of Cairo's quarters (harat), alleys (durub), residences, bathhouses, caravanserais (khanat and fanadiq), markets, suburbs such as Bulaq and al-Maqs, canals, bridges, and royal polo fields (mayadin) al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar bi D…+1.
6. The Citadel: An account of the Citadel of the Mountain (Qal'at al-Jabal) and the rulers associated with it al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…+1.
7. Ruin of Egypt: A discussion of the factors leading to economic distress and ruin in the land of Egypt al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…+1.

In later volumes, the topography is extended to include congregational mosques, colleges (madrasas), Sufi lodges (khanqahs, ribats, and zawiyas), hospitals (maristans), Christian churches, Jewish synagogues, and Cairo's extensive cemeteries Lamahat fi al-Maktaba wa …+1.

Sources and Reception

Al-Maqrizi drew upon his own direct observations as well as an extensive range of earlier historical and topographical treatises, many of which are now lost al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…+1. Among his main cited authorities were Ibn Abd al-Hakam, Abu Umar al-Kindi, Ibn Zulaq, al-Musabbihi, al-Quda'i, al-Sharif al-Jawwani, and Ibn al-Mutawwaj al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…+1.

The work is widely regarded as a primary source for the architectural, social, and economic history of Islamic Cairo al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…+1. However, his contemporary Shams al-Din al-Sakhawi, as well as later scholars such as Gaston Wiet, accused al-Maqrizi of plagiarism for borrowing substantial sections from earlier writers—such as al-Kindi's administrative works and Ibn Fadl Allah al-Umari's description of the Citadel—without direct attribution al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D….

Manuscripts and Editions

More than 170 to 180 manuscript copies and fragments survive in international libraries, including over 35 copies in Istanbul al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…+1. Two autograph draft fragments written by al-Maqrizi himself are preserved in the Topkapı Palace Museum library in Istanbul (in the Hazine and Emanet collections) al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D….

The book was first printed in two volumes at the Bulaq Press in Cairo in 1270 AH (1853–1854 CE) Lamahat fi al-Maktaba wa …+1. It was later published in four volumes by Matba'at al-Nil between 1324 and 1326 AH Lamahat fi al-Maktaba wa …+1. An edition prepared by Gaston Wiet was partially issued in five volumes between 1911 and 1927 but remained incomplete Imta al-Asma bima lil-Nab…. A complete critical edition based on autograph drafts and early manuscripts was later edited by Ayman Fu'ad Sayyid and published by the Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation al-Mawaiz wal-Itibar fi D…+1.