Islamic Historiography: The Histories of Mas'udi
About: This article is published in History: Reviews of New Books.The article was published on 1976-02-01. It has received 15 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Historiography & Islam.
Citations
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Dissertation•
01 Jan 2003
TL;DR: In this article, a neglected period in the history of Egyptology has been studied, focusing on the sources available to medieval Moslem/Arabs to learn about Ancient Egypt, and various elements that contributed to the making of an Interpretatio Arabica of Ancient Egypt.
Abstract: This thesis researches a neglected period in the history of Egyptology. The impetus was my own training in Egyptology in which no mention was ever made of any medieval Arab contribution. My upbringing as an Egyptian had made me aware of some of the sources which could fill the gap between the classical sources and the European Renaissance. The first chapter discusses the sources available to medieval Moslem/Arabs to learn about Ancient Egypt, and the various elements that contributed to the making of an Interpretatio Arabica of Ancient Egypt. As Egyptian monuments have always been perceived as hiding great treasures, the second chapter discusses treasure hunters, their manuals and state regulation, and the economics of the profession. I give examples of these manuals and their relevance to current archaeological work. Chapter three covers medieval Arab archaeological methods and descriptions of ancient sites and objects. Chapter four shows how interest in ancient Egyptian scripts continued and the attempts by some Medieval Moslem/Arab scholars to decipher hieroglyphs, having realised that it has an alphabet. I give examples of Egyptian scripts correctly deciphered. Chapter five discusses the Medieval Moslem/Arab concepts of Ancient Egyptian religion and how they interpreted the many intact temples. It covers the role of magic, the nature of royal cults, animal cults and holy sites. Chapter six discusses Egyptian Mummia, Mummification and Burial Practices of both humans and animals as well as the medicinal use of mummia in Arabic medicine. Chapter seven shows that Egypt was thought to be the land of science par excellence and gives examples of different scientific Mirabilia attributed to scientists of Pre-Islamic Egypt. Chapter eight discusses the Moslem/Arab concept of Egyptian Kingship and State Administration. It shows the survival of some ancient Egyptian institutions such as “Children of the Room” into the medieval period. I include a case study of Queen Cleopatra showing how the Arabic Romance of this queen differs significantly from its Western counterpart. Chapter nine gives the biographies of the main Arab writers whose works have formed the basis of my thesis. The last chapter contains my conclusions and recommendations for further work that I hope others may pursue.
52 citations
17 Apr 2018
TL;DR: In this article, Hameen-Anttila analyzed the lost sixth-century history of the Sasanians, its lost Arabic translations, and the sources of Firdawsi's Shāhnāme.
Abstract: In Khwadāynāmag. The Middle Persian Book of Kings Jaakko Hameen-Anttila analyses the lost sixth-century historiographical work of the Sasanians, its lost Arabic translations, and the sources of Firdawsī's Shāhnāme .
33 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss eventual Qurʾānic allusions to Zoroastrian texts by using the example of zamharīr (Q 76:13), which has frequently been interpreted as a punishment in hell.
Abstract: Abstract This article discusses eventual Qurʾānic allusions to Zoroastrian texts by using the example of zamharīr (Q 76:13). In the early tafsīr and ḥadīth-literature the term is most commonly understood as a piercing cold, which has frequently been interpreted as a punishment in hell. This idea, it is argued, has significant parallels to the concept of cold as a punishment in hell or to the absence of cold as a characteristic of paradise in the Avestan and Middle-Persian literature. In addition, Christian and Jewish texts that emphasize a similar idea and have not been discussed in research so far are brought into consideration. The article thus aims to contribute to the inclusion of Zoroastrian texts in locating the genesis of the Qurʾān – or early Islamic exegesis – in the “epistemic space ” of late antiquity.
32 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: Rabbat et al. as discussed by the authors explored the relationship between the art and architecture of the early Islamic period to those of pre-Islamic Bilad al-Sham (the region encompassing the modem-day countries of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel), and focused on the Umayyad bathhouse as a paradigm through which this relationship is articulated.
Abstract: This dissertation explores the relationship between the art and architecture of the early Islamic period to those of pre-Islamic Bilad al-Sham (the region encompassing the modem-day countries of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel), and focuses on the Umayyad bathhouse as a paradigm through which this relationship is articulated. The visual culture of the Umayyad dynasty (661-750CE) is of extreme importance, not only because it constitutes the foundation of Islamic art and architecture, but more importantly because it serves as the main link in the chain of cultural transmission from the GrecoRoman and Byzantine worlds to the Medieval Islamic world. The first section of this dissertation explores the ways in which this relationship has been studied as well as the nature of the primary sources, and suggests a new method of how best to study and understand Umayyad art and architecture and their relationship to precedent and contemporaneous cultures. The second section examines the cultural, architectural and political changes in Bilad al-Sham between the fourth and eighth centuries CE, and how the events of these four centuries shaped the art, architecture and culture of the Umayyads. The third and fourth sections concentrate on transformation of the shape and function of the bathhouse in late antiquity, and how the bathhouse was adapted to fit the needs of both pre-Islamic and Islamic late antique cultures in this region. This study concludes by suggesting that Umayyad architecture and culture can best be understood only when interpreted as part of the rich regional and cultural milieu of late antique Bilad al-Sham. Thesis Supervisor: Nasser Rabbat Title: Associate Professor of the History of Architecture Aga Khan Professor in the History of Islamic Architecture
21 citations
30 May 2017
TL;DR: In this paper, a study on the Arabic historical narratives of the ʿAbbāsid revolution and its aftermath that occurred in 747-755 CE is presented, where the main focus is a medieval work on these events, called the Kitāb al-Dawla, composed by an Arabic Muslim collector and composer of historical narratives, Abū l-Ḥasan ǫ b. Muḥammad al-Madāʾinī (d. c.228/842-843).
Abstract: This is a study on the Arabic historical narratives of the ʿAbbāsid revolution and its aftermath that occurred in 747–755 CE. Its main focus is a medieval work on these events, called the Kitāb al-Dawla, composed by an Arabic Muslim collector and composer of historical narratives, Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. Muḥammad al-Madāʾinī (d. c.228/842–843). The work is not extant, but its skeleton can be reconstructed on the basis of later quotations of it. Al-Madāʾinī’s Kitāb al-Dawla is an important source for the events of the the ʿAbbāsid revolution: since al-Madāʾinī was not directly sponsored by the ʿAbbāsid dynasty, he was not constrained to be a spokesperson for the ruling house’s propaganda needs.
20 citations
References
More filters
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2003
TL;DR: In this article, a neglected period in the history of Egyptology has been studied, focusing on the sources available to medieval Moslem/Arabs to learn about Ancient Egypt, and various elements that contributed to the making of an Interpretatio Arabica of Ancient Egypt.
Abstract: This thesis researches a neglected period in the history of Egyptology. The impetus was my own training in Egyptology in which no mention was ever made of any medieval Arab contribution. My upbringing as an Egyptian had made me aware of some of the sources which could fill the gap between the classical sources and the European Renaissance. The first chapter discusses the sources available to medieval Moslem/Arabs to learn about Ancient Egypt, and the various elements that contributed to the making of an Interpretatio Arabica of Ancient Egypt. As Egyptian monuments have always been perceived as hiding great treasures, the second chapter discusses treasure hunters, their manuals and state regulation, and the economics of the profession. I give examples of these manuals and their relevance to current archaeological work. Chapter three covers medieval Arab archaeological methods and descriptions of ancient sites and objects. Chapter four shows how interest in ancient Egyptian scripts continued and the attempts by some Medieval Moslem/Arab scholars to decipher hieroglyphs, having realised that it has an alphabet. I give examples of Egyptian scripts correctly deciphered. Chapter five discusses the Medieval Moslem/Arab concepts of Ancient Egyptian religion and how they interpreted the many intact temples. It covers the role of magic, the nature of royal cults, animal cults and holy sites. Chapter six discusses Egyptian Mummia, Mummification and Burial Practices of both humans and animals as well as the medicinal use of mummia in Arabic medicine. Chapter seven shows that Egypt was thought to be the land of science par excellence and gives examples of different scientific Mirabilia attributed to scientists of Pre-Islamic Egypt. Chapter eight discusses the Moslem/Arab concept of Egyptian Kingship and State Administration. It shows the survival of some ancient Egyptian institutions such as “Children of the Room” into the medieval period. I include a case study of Queen Cleopatra showing how the Arabic Romance of this queen differs significantly from its Western counterpart. Chapter nine gives the biographies of the main Arab writers whose works have formed the basis of my thesis. The last chapter contains my conclusions and recommendations for further work that I hope others may pursue.
52 citations
17 Apr 2018
TL;DR: In this article, Hameen-Anttila analyzed the lost sixth-century history of the Sasanians, its lost Arabic translations, and the sources of Firdawsi's Shāhnāme.
Abstract: In Khwadāynāmag. The Middle Persian Book of Kings Jaakko Hameen-Anttila analyses the lost sixth-century historiographical work of the Sasanians, its lost Arabic translations, and the sources of Firdawsī's Shāhnāme .
33 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss eventual Qurʾānic allusions to Zoroastrian texts by using the example of zamharīr (Q 76:13), which has frequently been interpreted as a punishment in hell.
Abstract: Abstract This article discusses eventual Qurʾānic allusions to Zoroastrian texts by using the example of zamharīr (Q 76:13). In the early tafsīr and ḥadīth-literature the term is most commonly understood as a piercing cold, which has frequently been interpreted as a punishment in hell. This idea, it is argued, has significant parallels to the concept of cold as a punishment in hell or to the absence of cold as a characteristic of paradise in the Avestan and Middle-Persian literature. In addition, Christian and Jewish texts that emphasize a similar idea and have not been discussed in research so far are brought into consideration. The article thus aims to contribute to the inclusion of Zoroastrian texts in locating the genesis of the Qurʾān – or early Islamic exegesis – in the “epistemic space ” of late antiquity.
32 citations
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: Rabbat et al. as discussed by the authors explored the relationship between the art and architecture of the early Islamic period to those of pre-Islamic Bilad al-Sham (the region encompassing the modem-day countries of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel), and focused on the Umayyad bathhouse as a paradigm through which this relationship is articulated.
Abstract: This dissertation explores the relationship between the art and architecture of the early Islamic period to those of pre-Islamic Bilad al-Sham (the region encompassing the modem-day countries of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel), and focuses on the Umayyad bathhouse as a paradigm through which this relationship is articulated. The visual culture of the Umayyad dynasty (661-750CE) is of extreme importance, not only because it constitutes the foundation of Islamic art and architecture, but more importantly because it serves as the main link in the chain of cultural transmission from the GrecoRoman and Byzantine worlds to the Medieval Islamic world. The first section of this dissertation explores the ways in which this relationship has been studied as well as the nature of the primary sources, and suggests a new method of how best to study and understand Umayyad art and architecture and their relationship to precedent and contemporaneous cultures. The second section examines the cultural, architectural and political changes in Bilad al-Sham between the fourth and eighth centuries CE, and how the events of these four centuries shaped the art, architecture and culture of the Umayyads. The third and fourth sections concentrate on transformation of the shape and function of the bathhouse in late antiquity, and how the bathhouse was adapted to fit the needs of both pre-Islamic and Islamic late antique cultures in this region. This study concludes by suggesting that Umayyad architecture and culture can best be understood only when interpreted as part of the rich regional and cultural milieu of late antique Bilad al-Sham. Thesis Supervisor: Nasser Rabbat Title: Associate Professor of the History of Architecture Aga Khan Professor in the History of Islamic Architecture
21 citations
30 May 2017
TL;DR: In this paper, a study on the Arabic historical narratives of the ʿAbbāsid revolution and its aftermath that occurred in 747-755 CE is presented, where the main focus is a medieval work on these events, called the Kitāb al-Dawla, composed by an Arabic Muslim collector and composer of historical narratives, Abū l-Ḥasan ǫ b. Muḥammad al-Madāʾinī (d. c.228/842-843).
Abstract: This is a study on the Arabic historical narratives of the ʿAbbāsid revolution and its aftermath that occurred in 747–755 CE. Its main focus is a medieval work on these events, called the Kitāb al-Dawla, composed by an Arabic Muslim collector and composer of historical narratives, Abū l-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. Muḥammad al-Madāʾinī (d. c.228/842–843). The work is not extant, but its skeleton can be reconstructed on the basis of later quotations of it. Al-Madāʾinī’s Kitāb al-Dawla is an important source for the events of the the ʿAbbāsid revolution: since al-Madāʾinī was not directly sponsored by the ʿAbbāsid dynasty, he was not constrained to be a spokesperson for the ruling house’s propaganda needs.
20 citations