Yahya Ibn Khaldun

Abu Zakariyya Yahya ibn Khaldun ( – 1378/9) was a North African Muslim historian. He was a younger brother of the more famous scholar Abd al-Rahman ibn Khaldun.

Ibn Khaldun was born in Tunis, then the capital of the Hafsids, to an intellectually prominent family of Andalusi origin. The main source for his life is elder brother's autobiography. Ibn Khaldun was captured and his property confiscated. He escaped and fled to Biskra, capital of the Zab Emirate. During this period, he went on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Uqba ibn Nafi. or 1368. In 1370, he defected to the Marinids, but returned to the court of Abu Hammu II in 1373 or 1374. His disloyalty led to his murder at the instigation of Abu Hammu's son and heir. His death took place during Ramadan in December 1378–January 1379.

Ibn Khaldun's major work is the Bughyat al-ruwad fi dhikr muluk min Bani Abd al-Wad, a history of the Zayyanid dynasty down to 1376, dedicated to Abu Hammu II. Where his brother presents the Zayyanids as Berbers, Yahya gives them an illustrious Alid genealogy. The Bughyat is one of the most important sources, and often the only source, for 14th-century North African history. It is superior in literary merit to the more ambitious writings of his brother. It also preserves copies of several poems.