Abulfeda | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 1273 |
| Died | 27 October 1331(1331-10-27) (aged 57) |
| Occupation(s) | Geographer,Historian,Ayyubidprince, Localgovernor ofHama |
| Children | Al-Afdal Muhammad |
| Philosophical work | |
| Notable works | Taqwim al-Buldan[1] Concise History of Humanity[1] al-Tariq al-Rashad Ila Taerif al-Mamalik wal-Bilad[1] |
Ismāʿīl bin ʿAlī bin Maḥmūd bin Muḥammad bin ʿUmar bin Shāhanshāh bin Ayyūb bin Shādī bin Marwān[2] (Arabic:إسماعيل بن علي بن محمود بن محمد بن عمر بن شاهنشاه بن أيوب بن شادي بن مروان), better known asAbū al-Fidāʾ orAbulfeda (Arabic:أبو الفداء; November 1273 – 27 October 1331),[3] was aMamluk-eraKurdishgeographer,historian,Ayyubidprince and localgovernor ofHama.[4]
Abu'l-Fida was born inDamascus,[5] where his father Malik ul-Afdal, brother of EmirAl-Mansur Muhammad II ofHama, had fled from theMongols. Abu'l-Fida was anAyyubid prince ofKurdish origin.[6]
In his boyhood he devoted himself to the study of theQur'an and the sciences, but from his twelfth year onward, he was almost constantly engaged in military expeditions, chiefly against theCrusaders.[7]
In 1285 he was present at the attack on a stronghold of theKnights of St. John, and took part in the sieges ofTripoli,Acre andQal'at ar-Rum. In 1298 he entered the service of theMamluksultanMalik al-Nasir and after twelve years was invested by him with the governorship ofHama. In 1312 he became prince with the titleMalik us-Salhn, and in 1320 received the hereditary rank of sultan with the titleMalik ul-Mu'ayyad.[7]
He died in 1331.[7]
Taqwim al-Buldan ("A Sketch of the Countries") is, like much of the history, founded on the works of his predecessors, including the works ofPtolemy andMuhammad al-Idrisi. A long introduction on various geographical matters is followed by twenty-eight sections dealing in tabular form with the chief towns of the world. After each name are given the longitude, latitude, climate, spelling, and then observations generally taken from earlier authors. Parts of the work were published and translated as early as 1650 inEurope.[7] In his works Abu'l-Fida correctly mentions the latitude and longitude of the city ofQuanzhou inChina.[8]
The book also contains the first known explanation of the circumnavigator's paradox. Abu'l-Fida wrote that a person who completed a westwardcircumnavigation of the world would count one fewer day than a stationary observer, since he was traveling in the same direction as the apparent motion of the sun in the sky. A person traveling eastward would count one more day than a stationary observer.[9] This phenomenon was confirmed two centuries later, when theMagellan–Elcano expedition (1519–1522) completed the first circumnavigation. After sailing westward around the world from Spain, the expedition called atCape Verde for supplies on Wednesday, 9 July 1522 (ship's time). However, the locals told them that it was actually Thursday, 10 July 1522.[10]
HisConcise History of Humanity (Arabic:المختصر في أخبار البشرTarikh al-Mukhtasar fi Akhbar al-Bashar, alsoAn Abridgment of the History at the Human Race, orHistory of Abu al-Fidaتاريخ أبى الفداء) was written between 1315 and 1329 as a continuation ofThe Complete History byAli ibn al-Athir (c. 1231). It is in the form ofannals extending from the creation of the world to the year 1329.[11]
It is divided into two parts, one covering the history ofpre-Islamic Arabia and the other thehistory of Islam until 1329. It was kept up to date by other Arab historians, byIbn al-Wardi until 1348, and byIbn al-Shihna until 1403. It was translated intoLatin,[12]French andEnglish and was the main work of Muslim historiography used by 18th-centuryorientalists includingJean Gagnier (1670–1740) andJohann Jakob Reiske (1754).
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Abulfeda".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 80.