Thesiss

This dissertation is a study of Ali Ibn 'Asakir's (499-571/1105-1176) massive biographical dictionary, Ta'rikh madinat dimashq. Ibn 'Asakir's Ta'rikh has long been recognized as an important source for medieval Damascene religious scholarship; yet, because of its size and the fa…

This dissertation explores the growing influence of sheikhs in the lives of the ulema during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries as represented in the work of an Ottoman `alim . My subject, the prominent biographer Nev'izade `At[dotbelow]a'i (1583-1635), gives us …

This study traces the journey of a ninth-century biographical dictionary, Kitab al-T[dotbelow]aabaqat al-Kabir (KTK), from near obscurity to canonical status. The study offers the most comprehensive biography of the book's author Muh[dotbelow]rammad ibn Sa'd (d. 230/845) to date…