Mamluk Historiography Outside of Egypt and Syria: ʿAlī b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Samhūdī and his Histories of Medina

Abstract:This article is an investigation into the extant works on Medina’s history by the late Mamluk-era historian ʿAlī b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Samhūdī (d. 911/1506), the most prolific pre-modern historian of that town. Although the study of Arabic historiography during the Mamluk period has progressed rapidly over recent years, most published research focuses on historical works composed in Egypt and Syria. By offering an analysis of al-Samhūdī’s various books on Medina’s history, this article will demonstrate how the study of historical works written in the Mamluk Ḥijāz has much to add to wider research into Mamluk historiography more broadly.