An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades: Memoirs of Usamah ibn-Munqidh

by Philip K. Hitti, Richard Bulliet

Overview

The life of Usāmah ibn-Munqidh epitomized the height of Arab civilization as it flourished in the period of the early Crusades. His memoirs present an uncommon non-European perspective and understanding of the military and cultural contact between East and West, Muslim and Christian. His writing is remarkable for its narrative clarity, its humanity, and its wealth of perceptive details.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231121255
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	06/22/2000
Series:	Records of Western Civilization Series
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	265
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Richard W. Bulliet is professor of history at Columbia University. A former Guggenheim fellow, he has authored books on technology, The Camel and the Wheel (Columbia); and on Middle East History, Islam: The View from the Edge (Columbia). He is also the author of four novels of mystery and intrigue.

Table of Contents

Section I
1. Fighting Against the Franks
2. Usamah's First Sojourn in Damascus
3. Usamah in Egypt
4. Usamah's Second Sojourn in Damascus
5. Battles Against Franks and Moslems
6. Adventures with Lions and Other Wild Animals
7. Other War Experiences
8. An Appreciation of the Frankish Character
9. Sundry Experiences and Observations
Section II
1. Stories of Holy Men
2. Noteworthy Cures
Section III
1. Hunting in Syria, Mesopotamia, and Egypt
2. Usamah's Father as a Hunter
Index

What People are Saying About This

Carl Petry

Usâmah's memoirs remain one of the most valuable insights we have into social conditions prevailing in Palestine during the Crusader era from the perspective of an educated Muslim Arab.

— Carl Petry, Northwestern University

Michael Chamberlain

The importance of this work cannot be underestimated. Usâmah provides a rare first-hand account of European (or Frankish) manners, morals, politics, and medicine written by a non-European.... Personal memoirs written by pre-modern Muslims are quite rare, and Usâmah provides vivid accounts of areas of social and cultural life that other writers of the period ignored.

— Michael Chamberlain, University of Wisconsin