Ibn al-Qalanisi

Abū Yaʿlā Ḥamzah ibn al-Asad ibn al-Qalānisī (; c. 1071 – 18 March 1160) was an Arab politician and chronicler in 12th-century Damascus.

Biography

Hamza, whose kunya was Abū Yaʿlà and nisba was al-Qalānisī 'the Hatter', descended from the Banu Tamim, and was among the well-educated nobility of the city of Damascus. He studied literature, theology, and fiqh and served firstly as a secretary in, and later the head of, the Chancery of Damascus. This chronicle is one of the few contemporary accounts of the First Crusade and its immediate aftermath from the Muslim perspective, making it not only a valuable source for modern historians, but also for later 12th-century chronicles, including ibn al-Athir.

The entire material of his chronicle covers the time span of two generations, his father's and his own, al-Qalanisi having experienced the First Crusade at a mature age, although apparently not as a fighter.