Ibn Taghribirdi

Jamal al-Din Yusuf bin al-Amir Sayf al-Din Taghribirdi (جمال الدين يوسف بن الأمير سيف الدين تغري بردي) or Ibn Taghribirdi (1410-1470 AD/813-874 Hijri) was an Egyptian historian born into the Turkish Mamluk elite of Cairo in the 15th century. He studied under al-Ayni and al-Maqrizi, two of the leading Cairene historians and scholars of the day. His most famous work is a multi-volume chronicle of Egypt and the Mamluk sultanate called al-Nujum al-zahira fi muluk Misr wa'l-Qahira. His style is annalistic and gives precise dates for most events; this format makes it clear that Ibn Taghribirdi had privileged access to the sultans and their records.

Works

• al-Nujum al-zahira fi muluk Misr wa'l-Qahira. This chronicle begins with the Islamic conquest of Egypt and continues until just before the author's death.
• al-Manhal al-safi wa'l-mustawfi ba'd al-wafi, a biographical dictionary of sultans, amirs, ulama and other famous people starting at the beginning of the Bahri dynasty. Approximately 3000 biographies total.
• Hawadith al-duhur fi mada al-ayyam wa'l-shuhur, a continuation of al-Maqrizi's history Suluk li-ma'rifat duwwal al-muluk.

Bibliography

• History of Egypt 1382–1469; transl. from the Arabic Annals of Abu l-Maḥāsin Ibn Taghrī Birdī by William Popper, Berkeley 1954-63.

See also

• List of Muslim historians

External links

• Short summary of Ibn Taghribirdi's al-Nujum al-zahira fi muluk Misr wa'l-Qahira (Arabic)
• Read parts of al-Nujum al-zahira fi muluk Misr wa'l-Qahira (Arabic)