Ibn Taghri-Birdi, Abu Al-Mahasin Jamal Aldin Yusuf

Ibn Taghri-Birdi, Abu Al-Mahasin Jamal Aldin Yusuf 

Born 1409 or 1410; died June 5, 1470. Arab historian and writer.

Born into a noble Mameluke family in Egypt, ibn TaghriBirdi studied with the outstanding scholars of his day, including Maqrizi. Of his works that have been preserved, his chronicles are the most interesting, as they contain valuable information of a socioeconomic character and encompass the history of Egypt from the seventh-century Arab conquest to 1469. Ibn Taghri-Birdi also wrote a short biography of Muhammad and some poetry collections and compiled an anthology of Arabic poetry.

WORKS

Al-Nujum al-Zahirah fi-Muluk Misr w-al-Qahirah (The Brilliant Stars Regarding the Kings of Egypt and Cairo), vols. 1–12. Cairo, 1929–56.

REFERENCE

Krachkovskii, I. lu. Izbr. soch., vol. 2. Moscow-Leningrad, 1956. (See the index.)