Grammaire

Good Arabic Paperback. 4to. (29 x 21 cm). In Arabic. 200 p. Ex-library stamps. Splits on the spine. Otherwise a good copy. Shantarînî was an Arab poet and historian from al-Andalus. He was born in Santarém (sometimes spelled Shantarin or Xantarin) and hailed from the Banu Taghlib tribe. Ibn Bassam describes how the incessant invasions of the Castilians forced him to run away from Santarém in Portugal, "the last of the cities of the west," after seeing his lands ravaged and his wealth destroyed, a ruined man with no possessions save his battered sword. Especially well known is his anthology Dhakhira fi mahasin Ahl al-Jazira. one of the most important sources of information in the field of history, literature, and culture of the Almoravid dynasty. It was edited in eight volumes by Ihsan Abbas, written in rhymed prose, many of its biographies are contemporary and filled out with details taken from the Kitab al-Matin of Ibn Hayyan. The parts taken from that book are easily distinguishable because Ibn Bassam prefixes the words qala Ibn Hayyan ("Ibn Hayyan says") and concludes the extract with intaha kalam Ibn Hayyan ("here ends ibn Hayyan's words"). The set is 8 volumes, this is only one volume (2.1).