Usamah Ibn Munqidh

Born June 4, 1095, in Shayzar, northern Syria; died 1188 in Damascus. Arab writer and military leader who fought against the Crusaders.

Usamah ibn Munqidh traveled in Syria, Egypt, Palestine, and Mesopotamia. He was the author of Instruction by Examples (published in Leiden in 1884), an autobiographical chronicle telling of the life of the Arabs in the 12th century and of relations between the Arabs and the Crusaders. The book is valuable both as a work of literature and as an important historical source dealing with life in medieval Arabic countries. Usamah ibn Munqidh also wrote poetry collections and historical tales, including The Book of the Staff and The Book of Camps and Dwellings.