Wfayat al-A’yan

Wafayat al-A’yan wa Anba’ Abna’ al-Zamaan, is the name of significant biographical dictionary on the biographies of Muslim scholars, written by Ibn Khallikan. The biographies of 846 prominent scholars, emirs, viziers and theosophists. It is written only the year of birth and death with a piece of their poem or work. In the book, it is not written the biographies of the companions of the Prophet and the Rashidin Caliphs (Ali, Abu Bakr, Umar and Othman) because the author believed that information about these persons was easily available.####

The author
Abu Abbas Shams al-Din Ahmad (1211 – 1282), from Iraq known as Ibn Khallikan was a famous Arab historian, judge, biographer and man of letters. All members of his family were jurists and scholars. In his youth he traveled to Aleppo to study under great scholars then went to Mosul, Damascus and Egypt. In Egypt he was the assistant of the judge for many years, then in Damascus, appointed as the Highest Judge and also was teaching in famous schools of Syria. He was dismissed from the judgment many times and again was appointed. Ibn Khallikan was profoundly expert at jurisprudence and principles, Arabic literature and syntax and also so interested in history and poetry.

Compiling the book
Ibn Khallikan started writing the book in 1256 in Cairo and finished in 1300.
Wafayat al-A’yan has been translated into Turkish and English.