Abū Yaʿlā Ḥamzah ibn al-Asad ibn al-Qalānisī ( ar, ابو يعلى حمزة ابن الاسد ابن القلانسي; c. 1071 – 18 March 1160) was an Arab politician and chronicler in 12th-century

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

Biography

Abu Ya‘la ('father of Ya‘la'), whose surname was al-Qalanisi ('the Hatter'), descended from the Banu Tamim tribe, and was among the well-educated nobility of the city of Damascus.Gibb (1932), p. 8, citing Ibn 'Asakir. He studied literature, theology, and law, and served firstly as a secretary in, and later the head of, the chancery of Damascus (the ''Diwan al-Rasa'il''). He served twice as ''ra'is'' of the city, an office equivalent to mayor.

"Chronicle of Damascus"

His chronicle, the ''Dhail'' or ''Mudhayyal Ta'rikh Dimashq'' ('Continuation of the Chronicle of Damascus') was an extension of the chronicle of

Hilal bin al-Muhassin al-Sabi' Abūʾl-Ḥusayn Hilāl b. Muḥassin b. Ibrāhīm al-Ṣābīʾ (Arabic: ابو الحسين هلال بن محسن بن ابراهيم الصابئ) (born: 358 A.H./c. 969 A.D., died: 447-448 A.H./1056 A.D.) (aged 90 lunar) was a historian, bu ...

, covering the years 1056 to al-Qalanisi's death in 1160.Gibb (1932), "Introduction", pp. 7-14. This chronicle is one of the few contemporary accounts of the First Crusade and its immediate aftermath from the

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

perspective, making it not only a valuable source for modern historians, but also for later 12th-century chronicles, including Ali ibn al-Athir. He also witnessed the siege of Damascus in 1148 during the

Second Crusade The Second Crusade (1145–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusa ...

, which ended in a decisive crusader defeat. The entire material of his chronicle covers the time span of two generations, his father's and his own, al-Qalanisi having experienced the First Crusade at a mature age, although apparently not as a fighter. Analysing the text,

H. A. R. Gibb Sir Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb (2 January 1895 – 22 October 1971), known as H. A. R. Gibb, was a Scottish historian and Orientalist. Early life and education Gibb was born on Wednesday, 2 January 1895, in Alexandria, Egypt, ...

, his first English translator, reaches the conclusion that al-Qalanisi has extracted his information both from eyewitnesses and documents, a fact strengthened by al-Qalanisi's own description of his ''modus operandi''. As a result of al-Qalanisi's careful work, a chief quality noted by Gibb is the accuracy of the chronology of events, for which he even offers the day of the week. Gibb extracted from the chronicle and translated to English the material covering the period 1097–1159, which he published in 1932.Gibb (1932), "Contents", p. 1.

References

Sources

* * 1160 deaths 12th-century Syrian historians People from Damascus Crusade literature 12th-century Arab historians Year of birth uncertain {{Syria-historian-stub