The Reflections of Circassian Mamluks Dynasty and the Outbreak of Strife on the Damascenes through Ibn Al-Himsi’s Accidents of Time and Deaths of Elders and Peers (851-923 AH / 1447-1517 AD)

Abstract

The present study aims at shedding light on Ibn Al-Himsi, the author of the Ḥawādith al-zamān wa-wafayāt al-shuyūkh wa-al-aqrān, (Accidents of Time and Deaths of Elders and Peers) through investigating his family, childhood, educational and cultural background, as well as the positions he occupied during the era of the Circassian Mamluks. The study also examines the scientific value of the book as well as the injustice committed by the Circassian Mamluks rulers, Sultans, deputies, and their senators on the Damascenes. Furthermore, the study scrutinizes the consequences of strife and wars among the Sultans and their deputies in the Syrian cities, namely Damascus and its countryside.