Ibn Amira

Ibn Amira (1186- 1258/60), full name: Abū al-Muṭarrif Aḥmad bin Abdallāh bin al-Ḥusayn bin Aḥmad Ibn Amīra al-Makhzūmī was a historian, poet, and scholar of law from al-Andalus during the reign of the Almohads. Ibn Amira was Qadi of Mallorca and worked for the Almohad sultan in Valencia and Seville. He moved to modern-day Morocco in 1239/40 (after the fall of Valencia in 1238) and continued to work for the sultan there.

Biography Ibn Amira al-Makhzumi was born at Alzira in the province of Valencia, now part of Spain. He was born into a well-known Berber family established in al-Andalus, in Shatiba (now Xàtiva, Valencia), by the 11th century. He started his studies in Alzira and focused on hadith, fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and literature. He was taught by some of the most famous scholars of his day, such as the traditionist Abu l-Rabi Ibn Salim and the grammarian al-Shalawbin.

Works Ibn Amira was also the author of a manuscript about the history of Mallorca, Tarij Mayurqa. The manuscript (written between 1203 and 1232) was translated into Spanish by the historian Guillem Rosselló Bordoy.