1211-1284
Jurist And Writer

Biographer. Ibn Khallikan was the author of one of the best-known Arabic biographical dictionaries, an important source of information on notable Muslims who are not mentioned in other collections. The book also includes much interesting information about Muslim life during the medieval period.

Early Life. Ibn Khallikan was born in 1211 to a prominent family in Irbil, Iraq. His father was a teacher at the local college, where Ibn Khallikan's studies began, and he traveled during the course of his education to Mosul, Aleppo, and Damascus. He made the acquaintance of several important Muslim historians, including Ibn al-Athir, and served for several years as deputy to the head judge of Egypt.

Career. In 1261 the Mamluk sultan Baybars appointed Ibn Khallikan the head judge of Damascus, where he administered justice over the whole of Syria. He lost this post in 1266 during a reorganization of...