The Concise History of Humanity [F-2-70] (186/446)
The record is made up of 446 items. It was created in 1907. It was written in Arabic. The original is part of the Qatar National Library.
About this item
- Content
Al-Mukhtaṣar fi akhbār al-bashar (The concise history of humanity) is a history of the world from Creation until 1331, the year of the author’s death. Abu al-Fida’ was a statesman, historian, geographer, and patron of intellectual life in the Syrian city of Hamāh. The work is valued nowadays for its treatment of the city in the 13th and 14th centuries. The first volume of this four-volume edition is dedicated to the history of the Abrahamic prophets and the lives of the Prophet Muhammad and his early companions. Subsequent volumes chronicle the history of Islamic empires, rulers, and significant intellectual figures. By all accounts, Abu al-Fida’ was a just and generous sultan. Under his hand Hamāh flourished in semi-independence from the central authority in Cairo. During his 20 year reign the economy prospered, and the local population produced a series of leaders in legal and administrative spheres. Abu al-Fida’s history and geography, while once considered important sources for Islamic and regional history, are not much studied anymore. He died in Hamāh, and his history was carried forward until 1348 by his contemporary, Ibn al-Wardi (1290−1349), whose work is included as an appendix in this edition. Latin translations of al-Mukhtaṣar and of Abu al-Fida’s geography (Taqwim al-buldan, literally “Almanac of nations”) published in the 18th century provided much of what Europeans knew of Islamic civilization. The biography of the Prophet Muhammad in al-Mukhtaṣar was published in Latin as Vita, et rebus gestis Mohammedis (The life and achievements of Muhammad) in Oxford in 1723. The present printing is not a critical edition. It was published in Cairo in 1907 at the al-Husayniyah Press.
- Extent and format
- 446 items
- Physical characteristics
215 pages ; 27 centimeters
- Written in
- Arabic in Arabic script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
The Concise History of Humanity [F-2-70] (186/446), Qatar National Library, 14758, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/qnlhc/14758.186> [accessed 28 April 2024]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/qnlhc/14758.186
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/qnlhc/14758.186">The Concise History of Humanity <span dir="ltr">[F-2-70] (186/446)</span></a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/qnlhc/14758.186"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/qnlhc/14758/1044610139-0138.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/qnlhc/14758/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- 14758
- Title
- The Concise History of Humanity
- Pages
- F-1-1 - F-4-87
- Author
- Ismāʿīl Ibn ʿAlī Abū al-Fidāʾ
- Usage terms
- Public Domain