New Perspectives on Ibn ‘Asakir in Islamic Historiography

This volume contains six articles on Ibn ‘Asakir and his Ta'rikh madinat Dimashq illustrating a variety of perspectives and approaches to the material. It includes a seventh article that discusses the process by which the now standard Dar al-fikr edition was compiled. The contributions address both the geographical and biographical sections of the Ta'rikh madinat Dimashq. Some of the authors examine Ibn 'Asakir’s sources, while others describe how Ibn 'Asakir’s works were used by later generations of scholars and how he influenced multiple genres of later writings. The volume also contains analyses of individual biographies and discussions of Ibn 'Asakir’s treatment of larger classes of people, including the first analysis of his biographies of women. In sum, it illustrates both the wide range of topics that the Ta'rikh madinat Dimashq covers and the latest techniques for analyzing Ibn 'Asakir and his work.

Contributors: Zayde Antrim, Steven Judd, Nancy Khalek, James Lindsay, Suleiman Mourad, Dana Sajdi, Jens Scheiner, Monika Winet.