Miyar al-Ikhtiyar fi Dhikr al-Maahid wal-Diyar
- Author died
- 776 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Thaqāfah al-Dīniyyah
Miyar al-Ikhtiyar fi Dhikr al-Maahid wal-Diyar (The Standard of Choice in Mentioning Quarters and Abodes) is a geographical and literary work written by the Andalusian vizier and historian Lisan al-Din Ibn al-Khatib (713–776 AH / 1313–1374 CE), offering a descriptive survey of the principal cities of the Kingdom of Granada and Morocco in the middle of the eighth Hijri century .
Composition and Context
Ibn al-Khatib composed the work during his first exile in Morocco alongside the Nasrid Sultan al-Ghani bi-Llah Muhammad V, when both were received as guests by the Marinid ruler Sultan Abu Salim in Muharram 761 AH (1359 CE) . Although he did not provide a specific date of composition within the text itself, Ibn al-Khatib noted in another work that he drafted it during his three-year stay in the Moroccan city of Sale between 760 and 763 AH (1358–1361 CE) .
In addition to circulating as a standalone treatise, Ibn al-Khatib incorporated the work under the chapter on maqamat (literary assemblies) in his expansive compilation Rayhanat al-Kuttab wa-Nuj'at al-Muntab, as well as in al-Taj al-Muhalla fi Musajalat al-Qadah al-Mu'alla . He also listed it as an independent title at the end of his biographical history al-Ihata fi Akhbar Gharnata and referred to it in Nafadat al-Jirab as Miyar al-Ikhtibar fi Ahwal al-Maahid wal-Diyar, characterizing it as an illustrated and novel treatise .
Structure and Method
The book adopts the literary framework of a maqama, employing rhymed prose (saj') and fictional dialogue to survey geographical locations rather than utilizing the genre solely for begging, trickery, or ascetic preaching . Following a conventional prologue in which Ibn al-Khatib observes that humans are innately social beings who weigh the merits and flaws of various dwellings, the treatise is divided into two distinct sessions (majlis):
- The First Session (al-Majlis al-Awwal): Devoted to the Andalusian cities of the Nasrid realm . The description begins with Gibraltar (Jabal al-Fath), which was then under Marinid control, characterizing it as the protective gateway to al-Andalus .
- The Second Session (al-Majlis al-Thani): Devoted to Moroccan cities .
Across these sessions, Ibn al-Khatib examines the topography, architecture, social habits, local markets, agricultural yield, and crafts of each locality, systematically counterbalancing praise for each city's virtues with critical observations of its flaws .
Reception and Manuscripts
The historian al-Maqqari al-Tilimsani praised the work as a wondrous and magnificent maqama demonstrating Ibn al-Khatib's exceptional descriptive mastery over the territories of al-Andalus and the North African coast .
Manuscript copies of the treatise are preserved at the El Escorial library in Spain (cataloged by Miguel Casiri under MS 1777), as well as in libraries in Rabat and Fez . A modern critical edition was prepared and published by Muhammad Kamal Shabana .
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