Writing Egypt: Al-Maqrizi and His Historical Project

This book is the most comprehensive, in-depth, and layered biography of al-Maqrizi, the greatest historian of pre-modern Egypt. It explores his life, work, and impact, interpreting his historical output as a long-term scholarly project centered on his famous Khitat. It analyzes his approach and methodologies in light of his beliefs, ethics, feelings, education, social standing, world views, politics, and personal circumstances. It restores al-Maqrizi to the pinnacle of the Mamluk historiographical tradition as an outspoken critic driven by moral rectitude. The book is divided into three sections: his life story, a historiographical, textual, and methodological analysis of his oeuvre, and a reconstruction of his afterlife and the modern reception of his work.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 332 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2022
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Al-Maqrizi, the renowned historian of pre-modern Egypt, has long deserved a comprehensive and analytical study of his life, work, and lasting impact. This book aims to fulfill that need, presenting a rich and detailed account of the life and career of this influential scholar.

Born in 1301 in Cairo, al-Maqrizi hailed from a prominent family and received a rigorous education in Islamic sciences. He began his career as a teacher and later became a scholar in the Mamluk court, where he had access to vast libraries and resources.

Al-Maqrizi's historical work is considered one of the most comprehensive and detailed accounts of pre-modern Egyptian history. He wrote extensively on various subjects, including politics, religion, literature, and art. His most famous work, the Khitat, is a monumental compilation of historical sources that spans the entire history of Egypt from its ancient origins to the Mamluk era.

In this book, we will explore the life of al-Maqrizi, his work, and its impact on the field of history. We will analyze his approach to historical writing, his methodologies, and the influences that shaped his thinking. We will also examine the broader context of his time, including the political, social, and cultural developments of pre-modern Egypt.

One of the key themes of al-Maqrizi's work is his belief in the importance of historical documentation and the need for accurate historical analysis. He believed that history was not just a record of events but also a means of understanding the past and shaping the future. This belief was deeply rooted in his Islamic education and his understanding of the role of the historian in society.

Al-Maqrizi's approach to historical writing was characterized by his meticulousness and his commitment to accuracy. He spent years gathering and analyzing historical sources, and his work was known for its thoroughness and its reliance on primary sources. He also used a variety of methodologies, including historical comparison, textual analysis, and ethnography, to gain a deeper understanding of the past.

Despite his impressive scholarly output, al-Maqrizi has never received the historical treatment warranted by his standing and scholarly output. This book aims to rectify that gap by presenting a comprehensive and analytical study of his life, work, and lasting impact.

In the first section of the book, we will recount the life of al-Maqrizi, from his early years to his death in 1374. We will explore his family background, his education, and his career as a teacher and scholar. We will also examine the broader history of pre-modern Egypt, including the rise
political, social, and cultural developments of the Mamluk era, which al-Maqrizi lived through and wrote about.

In the second section of the book, we will weave the life of al-Maqrizi with a historiographical, textual, and methodological analysis of his oeuvre. We will examine his most famous work, the Khitat, in detail, and analyze its structure, content, and significance. We will also explore his other works, including his commentary on the Qur'an, his treatise on the history of the Islamic world, and his biography of the Prophet Muhammad.

In the third section of the book
, we will reconstruct the afterlife of the author and his work down to the present. We will examine the impact of al-Maqrizi's work on the field. We will explore how his ideas and theories have influenced subsequent works of history, including the works of modern historians and scholars of Islamic history. We will also examine the legacy of al-Maqrizi in modern Egyptian consciousness, including his reclamation as one of the most original voices of pre-modern Egyptian history.

In conclusion, this book offers the most complete, probing, and layered biography of al-Maqrizi, the greatest historian of pre-modern Egypt. It interprets al-Maqrizi's historical output as a long-term scholarly project revolving around his famous Khitat to capture the entire history of Egypt. It analyses al-Maqrizi's approach and methodologies in light of his beliefs, ethics, feelings, education, social standing. standing, world views, politics, and personal circumstances. It distills from al-Maqrizi's massive textual output insights into his theorising, conception of history, and the influence of his teacher Ibn Khaldun. It restores him to the pinnacle of Mamluk historiographical tradition as an unusually outspoken critic who was animated by his moral rectitude. Although al-Maqrizi is recognised as the most influential historian of pre-modern Egypt, he has never received the probing historical treatment warranted by his standing and scholarly output. This book fills that gap. Arranged.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399502825