Ikhtisar al-Akhbar Amma Kana bi-Thaghr Sabta min Sini al-Athar
- Author died
- 826 AH
- Editions
- Al-Rabat
Ikhtisar al-Akhbar Amma Kana bi-Thaghr Sabta min Sini al-Athar (Abridgment of News Regarding the Ancient Monuments That Existed in the Frontier City of Ceuta) is a historical and topographical work on Ceuta (Sabta) by the Moroccan historian Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-Qasim al-Ansari al-Sabti (d. after 825 AH / 1422 CE) .
Composition and Context
The author, Muhammad ibn al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abd al-Malik al-Ansari, was born and raised in Ceuta . He composed the book by extracting and abridging material from two of his larger works, al-Kawakib al-Waqqadah and al-A'lam, intending to make its contents easily accessible and presenting it as a gift of gratitude to a benefactor . The work was completed in 825 AH (1422 CE) . During his lifetime, the Portuguese invaded Ceuta, prompting him to migrate to a village in the region of Anjara, where he remained until his death .
Scope and Content
The work provides a topographical and biographical survey documenting the religious and civic landmarks of Ceuta during its Islamic era . Its contents focus on:
- Graves and Shrines: An accounting of the burial sites of descendants of the Prophet (sharifs), jurists, prominent Sufi masters and ascetics, orators, and poets across Ceuta's burial grounds, such as the cemeteries of al-Manara, al-Haffa, Zaklu, and the outer suburb . Among those recorded are the traditionist Abu al-Abbas Ahmad al-Azafi al-Lakhmi (author of al-Durr al-Munazzam), the ascetic Abu al-Husayn ibn al-Sa'igh al-Ansari, and various scholars and ancestors of the author .
- Religious and Civic Institutions: Descriptions of Ceuta's mosques, manuscript libraries and repositories (khaza'in), madrasas, Sufi lodges (zawayas), coastal outposts (ribatat), and guard towers (maharis) .
- Topography and Surroundings: Descriptions of the maritime economy, including the abundant fisheries and fishing structures (mudarib wa-masayid) along the coast, as well as an account of the neighbouring village of Balyunash and its surrounding gardens and streams .
Modern Editions
The text was edited in a single volume by the Moroccan historian Abd al-Wahhab Ibn Mansur and published in Rabat by the Royal Press (al-Matba'a al-Malakiyya), appearing in multiple editions including those of 1969, 1983, and 1996 .
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