ABU ALFIDA

(1273-1331)

   Abu al-Fida was an ethnic Kurd and Syrian prince born into the Ayyubid family. He enjoyed a great reputation as a man of letters. Two of his works in particular stand out: The Mukhtasar tarikh al-bashar is a universal history covering the pre-Islamic and Islamic periods up to 1329, and the Takwin al-Buldan is a descriptive geography containing physical and mathematical information in tabular form. Both are largely compilations that Abu al-Fida rearranged and supplemented.

   Following the suppression of the Ayyubid principality of Hamah in 1299, Abu al-Fida remained in the service of its Mamluk governors and a friend of the sultan. Eventually he was appointed as the governor of Hamah for life and given precedence over all other governors in Syria.

   See also Literature.