Al-Jabarti's History

The book "Wonders of Antiquities in Biographies and News" (3 parts)

Author's name: Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan al-Jabarti

The book "Aja'ib al-Athar fi al-Tarajim wa al-Akhbar" (Wonders of Antiquities in Biographies and News), or "Tarikh al-Jabarti" as it is also known, is considered one of the most important historical books of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries AH, if not the only reliable source that describes Egypt without bias towards any ruler or individual. In the introduction, Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti says: "I had written pages on the events of the late twelfth century and the early thirteenth century, in which we are currently living. In them, I compiled some events in summary and others in detailed, verified form. Most of them were trials we experienced and matters we witnessed. I also included, within this, precedents I heard and received from the mouths of sheikhs, as well as some biographies of prominent figures, scholars, and respected princes. I mentioned glimpses of their stories and circumstances, and some of their birth and death dates. I wanted to gather these together and record their scattered details in well-organized pages, arranged chronologically, so that it would be easy for the astute student to review and benefit from."