General & world history
Latin and Islamic Historiography of the Crusades
A Comparative Study of William of Tyre (1130: 1185) and Ibn al-Athīr (1160: 1232)
by Mona Jumaa Hammad (Dr.), Mustafa Wajih (Prof.)
The First Crusade has produced more historical material than did any other event in the early Middle Ages. Because the participants of the Crusade were proud of their work, and their desire to retain a memory of their actions was severe. This book - which is originally a PhD thesis discussed at the University of Pennsylvania - discusses this topic. It consists of two parts: the first focuses on Islamic and Latin historiography and codification of Crusades, presents various types of historical literature for Crusades, and reveals the similarities and differences between Islamic and Christian annuals related to the period. As for the second part, it is a comparative study dealing with the approach of William of Tyre (1130: 1185) and Ibn al-Athīr (1160: 1232) in narrating and analyzing Crusades’ events, and comparing the two approaches in an attempt to understand the nature of relations between the Latin Emirates in the East and the Islamic World in the twelfth century.
