Historians of Basra in "Wafayat al-A'ayan" (The Death of Notables) by Ibn Khallikan

Abstract

The intellectual movement in the Islamic eras abounded with many scholars and specialists, and these scholars had the greatest impact on the progress of the scientific movement and the spread of Arab culture. And among those scholars who were extinguished, especially historians, who compiled books in various branches of historical writing so that they did not leave any aspect of human activity without writing about it, whether it was religious, political, administrative, economic, or social. Scholars from Basra contributed into the prosperity of the intellectual movement. And since the historical writing varied in terms of content, we will focus in this research on the Basra’s historians who were mentioned in the book of (Waffayat Alaayan fi Anbaa Abana Alzaman) by Ibn Khallakan, (died 681 AH/ 1282 AD). Ibn Khallakan, one of the most prominent of those who wrote bibliographies for the notables, according to the date of their death, and although this book included about 855 bibliographies in various countries and in various specializations, we found only six Basra’s figures who wrote in history or enumerated compilers who wrote in various fields, including history such as Ibn Hesham, Khalifah Ibn Khayyat, Omar bin Shabah, Ibn Saad, Aljahedh and Almawardi.