Reinhart Pieter Anne Dozy (Leiden,Netherlands, 21 February 1820 –Leiden, 29 April 1883) was a Dutch scholar of French (Huguenot) origin, who was born inLeiden. He was anOrientalist scholar ofArabic language, history and literature.
The Dozys, like other contemporary French families, emigrated to the Low Countries after the revocation of theedict of Nantes, but some of the former appear to have settled in theNetherlands as early as 1647. Dozy studied at theUniversity of Leiden, obtained the degree of doctor in 1844, was appointed an extraordinary professor of history in 1850, and professor in 1857. Dozy was a correspondent of the Royal Institute between 1848 and 1851. He became a member of the successor institute, theRoyal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, in 1855.[1]
In 1847 Reinhart Dozy's extensive studies inOriental literature,Arabic language and history, resulted in his first publication,The History of theAlmohads, preceded by a Sketch of the History ofSpain from the time of the conquest till the reign ofYusuf ibn Tashfin, and of the history of theAlmoravids.[2] This translation of an original thirteenth century Arabic history, titled "Kitab al-mujib fi talkhis akhbar ahl al-Maghrib" (Book of Response: A Short History of the Maghreb) by theAlmohad historianAbdelwahid al-Marrakushi, was reprinted in 1881 and 1968. Al-Marrakushi (b.1185) had lived nine years inAl-Andalus (present-day southernSpain) from 1206-1215. He had visitedEgypt andMecca in 1221, and returned to Morocco to complete his book in 1224.
Other works include:
Scriptorum Arabum loci de Abbaditis (1846–1863, 3 vols.),
His edition of 13th centuryMarrakech historianIbn Idhari'sHistory of Africa and Spain (1848–1852, 3 vols.), translation of a Leiden library manuscript purchased atMorocco in the 17th century titledAl-Bayan al-Mughrib.
Histoire des Musulmans d'Espagne, jusqu'à la conquête de l'Andalousie par les Almoravides, 711-1110 (4 vols. 1861; 2nd ed. 1881)read, a graphically written account ofMoorish dominion in Spain, which shed new light on many obscure points.
Recherches sur l'histoire politique et littéraire de l'Espagne pendant le moyen âge (2 vols. 1849; 2nd ed. completely recast in 1860 asRecherches sur l'histoire et la littérature de l'Espagne pendant le moyen âge; 3rd ed. 1881) form a supplement to hisHistoire des Musulmans, in which he exposes the many tricks and falsehoods of the monks in their chronicles, and effectively demolishes a good part of theCid legends.
Supplément aux dictionnaires arabes (1877–1881, 2 volumes) and
Glossaire des mots espagnols et portugais, dérivés de l'arabe, edited with W. H. Engelmann of Leipzig (1861; 2nd ed., 1869), and a similar list of Dutch words derived from the Arabic.
Ahmed Mohammed al-Maqqari'sAnalectes sur l'histoire et la littérature des Arabes d'Espagne (1855–1861, 2 vols.), and, in conjunction with his friend and successor,Michael Jan de Goeje, at Leiden:
al-Idrisi'sDescription de l'Afrique et de l'Espagne (1866).
Calendrier de Cordoue de l'année 961; texte arabe et ancienne traduction latine (Leiden 1873).
Het Islamisme (Islamism; 1863, 2nd ed., 1880; French translation) is a popular exposition ofIslam, of a more controversial character; and
De Israelieten te Mekka ("The Israelites at Mecca", 1864) became the subject of a rather heated discussion inJewish circles.
According toEdward Said, despite the "enormous labors" represented by Dozy's work, it was characterized by an "impressive antipathy [...] to the Orient, Islam, and the Arabs".[3]
Ahmed Siraj:L'Image de la Tingitane. L'historiographie arabe medievale et l'Antiquite nord-africaine. École Française de Rome, (1995).ISBN2-7283-0317-7. Short biographical note on Ibn Idhari al-Marrakushi .
N. Levtzion & J.F.P. Hopkins,Corpus of early Arabic sources for West African history, Cambridge University Press, (1981),ISBN0-521-22422-5 (reprint: Markus Wiener, Princeton, 2000,ISBN1-55876-241-8). Short biographical note and English translation of extracts fromAl-Bayan al-Mughrib
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Dozy, Reinhart Pieter Anne".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.