Uqud al-Juman fi Waqai al-Azman
- Author died
- 930 AH
- Editions
- General Egyptian Book Authority
Uqud al-Juman fi Waqai al-Azman (The Pearl Necklaces on the Events of the Ages) is an Arabic historical chronicle by the Egyptian Mamluk-era historian Ibn Iyas (852–c. 930 AH / 1448–c. 1524 CE), composed as an abridgment of his expansive history Badai al-Zuhur fi Waqai al-Duhur .
Composition and Context
The work forms part of a triad of historical writings by Ibn Iyas on Egyptian and Islamic history, alongside his magnum opus Badai al-Zuhur and a further abridged chronicle titled Jawahir al-Suluk fi Amr al-Khulafa wal-Muluk . Ibn Iyas completed writing the second volume of Uqud al-Juman on Friday, 17 Rabi' al-Awwal 905 AH (October 1499 CE), working on the abridgment while his larger history was still in progress, which he only completed on the final day of Dhu al-Hijjah 928 AH . Although generally recognized as a summary of Badai al-Zuhur, it is also characterized in some scholarly accounts as an independent summary of Egyptian history .
Structure and Scope
The chronicle originally comprised three volumes, of which only the second volume has survived, while the first and third volumes are lost :
- Volume 1 (Lost): Commenced with the biographies of the Caliphs and covered the history of Egypt through the end of the Ayyubid dynasty .
- Volume 2 (Surviving): Begins in 648 AH with the accession of Shajar al-Durr and her abdication to al-Mu'izz Aybak, detailing the Bahri Mamluk sultans through al-Salih Amir Hajj, before transitioning to the Burji (Circassian) Mamluks from the reign of al-Zahir Barquq to the assassination of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qaytbay .
- Volume 3 (Lost): Was planned to chronicle the reign of al-Zahir Qansuh and subsequent events .
Method and Content
Ibn Iyas adopts an annalistic structure (hawliyat), organizing events chronologically by year using recurrent transitional phrases such as "Then entered the year..." (thumma dakhalat sana) and "In it..." (wa-fiha) . He occasionally suspends the strict yearly sequence to provide thematic overviews, such as long-term episodes of inflation and food shortages .
For each sultan's reign, the entry records the ruler's name, accession date and manner of appointment, duration of rule, architectural constructions or restorations, key political conflicts, physical and moral descriptions, and the immediate successor . The work also emphasizes historical "firsts" (awa'il), Nile flood levels, market prices, epidemics and mortality figures, as well as astronomical and natural phenomena . In keeping with the book's concise format, biographical notices of scholars, judges, and poets at the end of reigns are heavily abridged, often providing only names without extended entries . He also incorporates pieces of poetry and vernacular verses (zajal), frequently cited from memory .
Manuscript and Publication
The surviving second volume is preserved in an autograph manuscript penned by Ibn Iyas in the Hagia Sophia Library (Aya Sofya, MS 3311) in Istanbul . This volume was edited by Ahmad Sa'id and published in Cairo (1444 AH / 2023 CE) under the Silsilat al-Turath al-Hadari series .
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