Yahya ibn Khaldun
Abu Zakariyya Yahya ibn Khaldun | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1333 Tunis, (modern-day Tunisia) |
| Died | 1378 (during Ramadan) Tlemcen, (modern-day Algeria) |
| Education | Studied under al-Abili |
| Occupation(s) | Historian, Secretary |
| Notable work | Bughiyat al-Ruwad fi dhikr al-Muluk min Bani Abd al-Wed |
| Relatives | Abd al-Rahman ibn Khaldun (brother) |
Abu Zakariyya Yahya ibn Khaldun (c. 1333 – 1378/9) was a North African Muslim historian. He was a younger brother of the more famous scholar Abd al-Rahman ibn Khaldun.[1]
Ibn Khaldun was born in Tunis, then the capital of the Hafsids, to an intellectually prominent family of Andalusi origin. The main source for his life is elder brother's autobiography.[1]
Ibn Khaldun studied under al-Abili, whose opposition to the monopolization of education by the state he shared. He shared an interest in history with his brother, but also an interest in adab (belles lettres). By 1356, he had followed his brother to the Marinid capital of Fes, where he participated in court intrigues. He lived for a time in Béjaïa and after 1362 settled in Tlemcen in the employ of King Abu Hammu II, for whom he wrote poetic panegyrics.[1]
In 1364, the Hafsid emir Abu al-Abbas Ahmad II seized control of Béjaïa.[2] Ibn Khaldun was captured and his property confiscated. He escaped and fled to Biskra, capital of the Zab Emirate. During this period, he went on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Uqba ibn Nafi.[1] He returning to Tlemcen to serve as Abu Hammu's secretary (katib al-insha) in 1367[3] or 1368.[1] In 1370, he defected to the Marinids, but returned to the court of Abu Hammu II in 1373[1] or 1374.[3] His disloyalty led to his murder at the instigation of Abu Hammu's son and heir, Abu Tashfin II.[1] His death took place during Ramadan in December 1378–January 1379.[3]
Ibn Khaldun's major work is the Bughyat al-ruwad fi dhikr muluk min Bani Abd al-Wad, a history of the Zayyanid dynasty down to 1376, dedicated to Abu Hammu II. Where his brother presents the Zayyanids as Berbers, Yahya gives them an illustrious Alid genealogy.[3] The Bughyat is one of the most important sources, and often the only source, for 14th-century North African history. It is superior in literary merit to the more ambitious writings of his brother. It also preserves copies of several poems.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h Allen J. Fromherz (2012), "Yahya Ibn Khaldun", in Henry Louis Gates; Emmanuel Akyeampong; Steven J. Niven (eds.), Dictionary of African Biography, Oxford University Press, retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ Robert Brunschwig (1940), La Berberie Orientale sous les Hafsides des origines a la fin du XVe siècle, vol. 1, Adrienne-Maisonneuve, pp. 179–180, retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d Nico J. G. Kaptein (1993), Muḥammad's Birthday Festival: Early History in the Central Muslim Lands and Development in the Muslim West until the 10th/16th Century, Brill, pp. 141–142.
Further reading
[edit]- Alfred Bel, ed. (1904–1913) Bughyat al-ruwwad fi dhikr al-muluk min Bani ʿAbd al-Wad, 2 vols. Algiers: Imprimerie Orientale Pierre Fontana. Arabic edition and French translation.
- أبو القاسم [Abu al-Qasim], سعد الله [Sa'd Allah] (2015). تاريخ الجزائر الثقافي، من الفتح الإسلامي إلى نهاية القرن التاسع الهجري [The cultural history of Algeria, from the Islamic conquest to the end of the ninth century AH] (in Arabic). Vol. 2 (1st ed.). Algiers (Algeria): عالم المعرفة [Aalam al-Ma'rifah.] pp. 401–404. ISBN 978-9947-912-70-6.
- محصر [Muhsar], وردة [Warda] (2011). "يحي ابن خلدون ومنهجه في كتابة التاريخ" [Yahya Ibn Khaldun and His Methodology in Writing History]. مجلة أنثروبولوجية الأديان [Majallat Anthrobolujiyyat al-Adyan] (in Arabic). 7 (2): 499–507.
