Abū Ja'far Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Aḥmad ibn 'Amirah al-Dhabbī () an historian and
encyclopedist
An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by artic ...
-
biographer
Biographers are authors who write an account of another person's life, while autobiographers are authors who write their own biography.
Biographers
Countries of working life: Ab=Arabia, AG=Ancient Greece, Al=Australia, Am=Armenian, AR=Ancient Rome ...
of
al-Andalus
Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...
who lived at the end of the twelfth-century during the period of Islamic hegemony in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
Biography
What is known of the author's life is drawn from the text of his published work.
He says nothing about his country, but we believe that he was born in the village of Velez where he lived with his grandfather Ahmed, and that Ahmed ibn Abd 'l-Malik ibn Amirah was a cousin of Yahya, the author's father.
Adh-Dhabbi is believed to have spent most of his life in
Murcia
Murcia ( , , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the Ranked lists of Spanish municipalities#By population, seventh largest city i ...
and
Lorca; where from fourteen years of age, he began his studies under Mohammad ibn Jafar ibn Ahmed ibn Hamid, who died in the year 586 AH.
Adh-Dhabbi travelled to many regions of
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
, visiting the cities of
Ceuta
Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...
in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, and
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
in Egypt, where he found welcome among literary circles. Along his travels he met the philologist
Abd al-Ḥaqq el-Ishbīli in
Béjaïa
Béjaïa ( ; , , ), formerly known as Bougie and Bugia, is a Mediterranean seaport, port city and communes of Algeria, commune on the Gulf of Béjaïa in Algeria; it is the capital of Béjaïa Province.
Geography
Location
Béjaïa owes its ...
, and fellow encyclopedist-biographer,
Abu Ṭāhir Ibn 'Auf in Alexandria.
Works
*''
Bughyat al-multamis fī tārīkh rijāl ahl al-Andalus'' ();
Biographic encyclopedia of Arab Spain. (ed. Codera y Zaidín, Francisco; Ribera, Julián; Bibliotheca Arabico-Hispana, 1884) (
al-Qāhirah Dār al-Kātib al-ʻArabī, 1967)
Translations
* ''
Desiderium quaerentis historiam virorum populi Andalusiae
Abū Ja'far Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Aḥmad ibn 'Amirah al-Dhabbī () an historian and encyclopedist-biographer of al-Andalus who lived at the end of the twelfth-century during the period of Islamic hegemony in Spain.
Biography
What is known of ...
'', (
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
) descriptions of the lives of famous men and women in Spain, with preceding history of the conquest and the
Umayyad Caliphs, until the year 592 AH / 1196 AD. Anthology of works by: 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad, called Ibn al-Farad;
Amad ibn Yaya, al-Dabb; Khalaf ibn Abd al-Malik, called Ibn Bashkuwl; Muammad ibn 'Abd Allah, called Ibn Al-Abbâr; Muhammad ibn Khair, al Andalus.
* ''De libro Desiderium quaerentis historiam hominum Andalusiae'' (Latin).
See also
*
List of Arab scientists and scholars
Arab scientists and scholars from the Muslim World, including Al-Andalus (Spain), who lived from antiquity up until the beginning of the modern age, include the following. The list consists primarily of scholars during the Middle Ages.
Both th ...
*
Encyclopædia Britannica Online
An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by artic ...
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:al-Dhabbi, Ibn Umaira
1203 deaths
12th-century historians from al-Andalus
12th-century biographers
12th-century lexicographers
Encyclopedists from al-Andalus
Arab biographers
Encyclopedists of the medieval Islamic world