Ibn al-Mustawfi

Mubarak Bin Ahmad Sharaf-Aldin Abu al-Barakat Ibn al-Mustawfi (1169-1239), a famous Kurdish historian of Arbil, who was born in the ancient citadel of Arbil.^[1] He has written in several areas, history, literature and language. His masterpiece is a four volumes book of (History of Arbil).^[2][3]

Ibn Khallikan said about him in his book "Wafayat al-Ayan": He was a dignified person, he had great humility, broad generosity, every virtuous person visited Arbil hastened to visit him, he had great virtues, Knowledgeable of many arts.

Biography

Born in the Castle of Arbil and grew up in the house of the Leadership and science, his father and uncle were his teachers when he began his education, and his father encouraged him to go to the scholars of Arbil and continue his education and learn more. He studied the science of talk, and learned everything related to it, and was interested in science of language and literature, and worked on presentations and rhetoric.

He was a poet and minister in Arbil, in the era of Muzaffar al-Din Abu Sa’eed al-Kawkaboori governor of Arbil in the reign of Sultan Saladin. In the year 1236 Ibn al-Mustawfi moved to Mosul after the Tatars occupied Arbil and lived there until his death in 1239.

List of works

• Tārīkh Irbil: al-musammā Nabāhat al-balad al-Khāmil bi-man waradahu min al-amāthil, four volumes.
• Kitab al-Nizam fi shi’ar al-Mutanabbi wa abi Tammam, ten volumes.
• Kitab ithbat al-muhasaal fi nisbet abyat al-mufasaal, two volumes.
• Kitab sr al-Sanaah
• Kitab aba qimash, a collection a lot of literature and anecdotes.
• Kitab Ahkam al-Nijoom
• He also has a collection of poems.
• intellectual poet, historian, and legend

References