Writing Egypt

Recounts the life of Egypt's greatest historian, contextualises his work and assesses its impact then and now Although al-Maqrizi is recognised as the most influential historian of premodern Egypt, he has never received the probing historical treatment warranted by his standing and scholarly output. This book fills that gap, providing a full personal and intellectual biography of this most intriguing and controversial of Mamluk historians. Arranged in three sections, it tells al-Maqrizi's life story in the first, analyses his oeuvre in the second and considers the afterlife of his work in the third. Considering al-Maqrizi's work in light of his beliefs, ethics, feelings, education, social standing, world views, politics and personal circumstances, the book offers insights into his theorising, his conception of history and the influence of his teacher Ibn Khaldun. It goes on to reconstruct the afterlife of his oeuvre as it made its way into the Ottoman historical tradition and was later mined by Arabists and Orientalists. This book opens a window onto the man who has been reclaimed in the modern Egyptian consciousness as one of the most original voices of Egypt, demonstrating how he was woven into the fabric of the modern Egyptian sense of self as a model, moral guide and true citizen of Egypt avant la lettre. Nasser Rabbat is the Aga Khan Professor and Director of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.