Ibrahim ibn Wasif Shah
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Ibrāhīm ibn Waṣīf Shāh | |
|---|---|
| Died | c. 1202[1] |
| Occupation | Historian |
| Years active | 12th century CE |
| Notable works | Mukhtaṣar ʻajāʼib al-dunyā |
Ibrāhīm ibn Waṣīf Shāh (Arabic: ابراهيم بن وصيف شاه) also called Ibn Waṣīf al-Ṣābiʾ and romanized as Alguazif was an obscure Muslim writer who lived around the twelfth century.[2][3] He wrote on topics relating to the history of Egypt from ancient times to Islamic rule.[3][4][5] A manuscript of one of his books, the Ajā’ib al-Dunyā ("Wonders of the World"), is currently stored in the British Museum.[2][6]
Ibn Wasif Shah wrote detailed descriptions of the pyramids of Egypt while relating myths and legends regarding the foundation and origins of them.[5][7][8] He also wrote about the history of the ancient Nubian people and their civilization.[9][10] The medieval Arab historian Al-Maqrizi quoted extensively from him in his encyclopedic work Kitāb al-Mawāʿiẓ wa-al-iʿtibār.[11][12] Ibn Wasif Shah is also believed to be the writer of the Akhbar al-Zaman, a manuscript of unknown authorship that has been dated to the tenth century.[13][14] Some of his works have also been cited in the General Estoria by Alfonso X of Castile, under the name Alguazif.[14][15]