Ibn Alqama facts for kids
Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn al-Khālaf, known as Ibn ʿAlqāmā (born 1036 or 1037 AD, died 1116 AD), was an important Muslim official and historian. He lived in Al-Andalus, which was a Muslim-ruled part of what is now Spain and Portugal.
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Who Was Ibn ʿAlqāmā?
Ibn ʿAlqāmā was born in the city of Valencia. He lived during a time when Christian armies were trying to take back land from Muslim rulers in Spain. He became known for writing a detailed history book.
His Important Book
Ibn ʿAlqāmā wrote a book called Clear Exposition of the Disastrous Tragedy. This book was about the fall of Valencia. The city was captured by the Christian army of El Cid in 1094.
What Was the Book About?
His book is now lost, but we know parts of it from other writings. Other historians copied sections of his work into their own books. These include works by Ibn ʿIdhārī and Ibn al-Khaṭīb. Christian history books also used parts of his story. The book likely covered events from 1092 to 1102. This included Valencia being taken by El Cid. It also covered the city being recaptured by Muslims after El Cid died.
Why His Writings Are Special
Ibn ʿAlqāmā strongly supported the Almoravids. This was a powerful Muslim group. He wrote with great emotion about the events. He did not like any agreements between the people of Valencia and the Christian forces. His writing was very lively and full of details.
Later Discoveries
Historians later tried to put together Ibn ʿAlqāmā's lost work. In 1929, Ramón Menéndez Pidal tried to reconstruct it. He used parts found in both Christian and Muslim writings. He thought Christian sources had more information from Ibn ʿAlqāmā. However, this idea is not widely accepted today. Later, in 1948, Évariste Lévi-Provençal published the Arabic parts of the book. He also provided a French translation.
His Final Years
Ibn ʿAlqāmā passed away in Dénia in the year 1116.
