History of the Arab Invasions: The Conquest of the Lands: A New Translation of al-Baladhuri’s Futuh al-Buldan
By Ahmad b. Yahya al-Baladhuri
Translated by Hugh Kennedy
I.B. Tauris
ISBN: 978-0-7556-3744-7
Futuh al-Buldan is one of the most important primary sources for the early history of Islam. Written around the year 867, it chronicles the era of the Prophet Muhammad, and Muslim expansion into Syria, Egypt and Iraq.
Excerpt:
Despite the apparent clarity of the overall theme, the book puzzled and intrigued me then as it still does today. Its subject matter, the Arab-Muslim conquests of the world from Spain and the Atlantic in the West to Central Asia and Southern Pakistan in the East, has made it a firm favourite among Muslim readers. While only three complete manuscripts seem to have survived from the pre-modern period, the fact that it was extensively used and quoted by subsequent authors from Qudāma b. Ja ʿfar in the first half of the tenth century, just a generation aſter the author’s death, to Yāqūt in c. 1220 bears witness to its enduring appeal. It also shows that the work was much more widely available than the number of the existing manuscripts would suggest.
Who is this book for?
Anyone studying the rise of Islam will make great use of this translation. It is also an important source for Byzantine, Egyptian and Middle Eastern history. While other translations of Futuh al-Buldan exist, the English here is more up-to-date.
“The methodology of translation and commentary on Futūḥ al-Buldān is well organised in terms of the transliteration system, technical terms, names and places, and valuable explanations are given in the footnotes. Kennedy’s abstracts at the beginning of each chapter are useful, providing brief summaries for the reader. Overall, this is a noteworthy contribution for specialists in the field of early Islamic history. This translation underscores the need for revisiting some previously translated Arabic sources due to their archaic language, highlighting the importance of revisions.” ~ review by Awad al-Assiri in the English Historical Review
The Translator
Hugh Kennedy is one the most well-known scholars of the early Islamic world. A Professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London, he has written extensively about the Abbasid era. Click here to view his Wikipedia page.
History of the Arab Invasions: The Conquest of the Lands: A New Translation of al-Baladhuri’s Futuh al-Buldan
By Ahmad b. Yahya al-Baladhuri
Translated by Hugh Kennedy
I.B. Tauris
ISBN: 978-0-7556-3744-7
Futuh al-Buldan is one of the most important primary sources for the early history of Islam. Written around the year 867, it chronicles the era of the Prophet Muhammad, and Muslim expansion into Syria, Egypt and Iraq.
Excerpt:
Despite the apparent clarity of the overall theme, the book puzzled and intrigued me then as it still does today. Its subject matter, the Arab-Muslim conquests of the world from Spain and the Atlantic in the West to Central Asia and Southern Pakistan in the East, has made it a firm favourite among Muslim readers. While only three complete manuscripts seem to have survived from the pre-modern period, the fact that it was extensively used and quoted by subsequent authors from Qudāma b. Ja ʿfar in the first half of the tenth century, just a generation aſter the author’s death, to Yāqūt in c. 1220 bears witness to its enduring appeal. It also shows that the work was much more widely available than the number of the existing manuscripts would suggest.
Who is this book for?
Anyone studying the rise of Islam will make great use of this translation. It is also an important source for Byzantine, Egyptian and Middle Eastern history. While other translations of Futuh al-Buldan exist, the English here is more up-to-date.
“The methodology of translation and commentary on Futūḥ al-Buldān is well organised in terms of the transliteration system, technical terms, names and places, and valuable explanations are given in the footnotes. Kennedy’s abstracts at the beginning of each chapter are useful, providing brief summaries for the reader. Overall, this is a noteworthy contribution for specialists in the field of early Islamic history. This translation underscores the need for revisiting some previously translated Arabic sources due to their archaic language, highlighting the importance of revisions.” ~ review by Awad al-Assiri in the English Historical Review
The Translator
Hugh Kennedy is one the most well-known scholars of the early Islamic world. A Professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London, he has written extensively about the Abbasid era. Click here to view his Wikipedia page.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
You can buy this book on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
Subscribe to Medievalverse
Related Posts