Ya‘kūbî

Ya‘kūbî (Ebü’l-Abbâs Ahmed; d. 292/905) is one of the early historians, geographers, and travelers of the Islamic world. He is considered one of the first Muslim geographers and is regarded as the second important representative of the Iraq school of geography after İbn Hurdâzbih (Volume 1, p. 92; Volume 2, p. 12).

Works

His two important works that have survived to the present day are Kitab et-Tarih, a concise general history book, and Kitab el-Buldan, which is about geography (Volume 1, p. 92). Kitab et-Tarih is one of the first examples of chronological Islamic histories; it begins with creation and ends with the events of the Hijri year 259 (m. 872-73); however, the beginning part of the work is lost. In the surviving section of the work, events are discussed chronologically according to the Hijri calendar, as in İbn Kuteybe’s el-Maarif and Dîneverî’s el-Ahbar et-Tıval (Volume 1, p. 92). Ya‘kūbî evaluates the Emevî and Abbasî periods as dominion and sovereignty; he displays a more moderate approach regarding the Abbasîs (Volume 1, p. 92).

Historical Understanding and Life

Ya‘kūbî, who evaluates Islamic history from the perspective of İmâmiyye Şîası, approached the narratives found in sources with caution, despite being anti-Emevî and a supporter of Ali; although belonging to a Shiite family, he was considered a moderate historian (Volume 2, p. 12). He spent the last years of his life in Mısır and Kuzey Afrika during the Tolunoğulları period, undertaking various travels (Volume 2, p. 12).

From the Perspective of Kurdish History

From the perspective of Kurdish history, Ya‘kūbî holds an important place among authors who provided early information about the Kurds. While considered one of the main representatives of the Iraq school of geography, he is mentioned alongside İbn Hurdâzbih, Mes‘ûdî, İbnü’l-Fakīh, İbn Rüste, and Kudâme b. Ca‘fer el-Kâtib (Volume 2, p. 8). In Kitab et-Tarih, he recounts three narratives where the name “Ekrad” (Kürtler) is mentioned; he explicitly states his doubts that the information he provides regarding the pre-Islamic period might be mixed with superstitions, and concerning the Ahd-i Atîk and Hudâynâme on which he relies (Volume 1, p. 92). Some narratives about the origin of the Kurds, recounted by Mes‘ûdî, are also found scattered in the works of Ya‘kūbî and Dîneverî (Volume 1, p. 96).

His geographical work contains important information about the regions inhabited by the Kurds; while mentioning the cities of Saymara, Hulvan, and Karmasin, it is stated that one of the peoples living there are the Kurds, and the haraç taxes collected from these places are mentioned (Volume 2, p. 12).