An analysis of Ibn Abi Usaybi`ah's `Uyun al-anba' fi tabaqat al-atibba' Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Hilloowala, Franak Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 24/09/2021 14:14:43 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/289096 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has t)een reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitisd. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this raproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 Nonh Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 AN ANALYSIS OF IBN ABI USAYBI'AH'S 'UYUNAL-ANBA' Fl TABAQATAL-ATIBBA' by Franak Hilloowala A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF NEAR EASTERN STUDIES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2000 UMI Number 9965868 UMI^ UMI MIcrofomn9965868 Copyright 2000 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Leaming Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. 80x1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA ® GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared bv Franak Hilloovala entitled An Analysis of Ibn Abl Usaybi'ah's 'Uvun al-anba' fi tabaqat al-atlbba' and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy ^Jjh. - - .u . Dr. Wil^aji J. Wilson ^ Dace April 6, 2000 Date Dr. Adsl Sa Gainal April 6, 2000 QyCc^{A2f Date Dr. MyAmy NewhallN( April 6, 2000 Date Date Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon Che candidate's submission of the final copy of the dissertation to Che Graduace College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. Dissertatio^ D^ector Date Dr. Wilti^ J. Wilson April 6, 2000 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. I F-~~ k-j ·/ .., ;t,' ~ SIGNED:_____::L:o:;_,.., _Q~~-l_u.._· _::-_z ~/_______ --__ / 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my professors. Dr. William J. Wilson, Dr. Amy Newhall and Dr. Adel S. Gamal for their help and support. I would also like to thank Muhammad Alkhalil for his help and input in the translation portion of my dissertation. DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, Rusi A. Hilloowala and Julianne S. Hilloowala for their support and encouragement. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 8 INTRODUCTION 9 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 12 The Study of the History of Islamic Medicine; A General Overview 12 Sources More Specific to My Study 18 IBN ABI USAYBrAH; HIS LIFE AND CAREER 26 THE HISTORY OF THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY 45 Introduction 45 The State of Medicine in the Thirteenth Century 47 Summary of Relevant Political Events During the Ayyubid Period 56 Significant Elements of the Ayyubid Political Structure 68 The Dominance of Egypt 68 The Demise of the Urban Notable 70 Significant Cultural Trends of the Ayyubid Period 73 Architectural Patronage. New Constructions and Stylistic Elements 73 The Author Portrait: A New Islamic Context for a Late-Antiaue Tradition .... 79 THE 'UYUN AL-ANBA FI-TABAQAT AL-ATIBBA' AND THE GENRE BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARIES 83 Introduction 83 The 'Uyun al-anba' fi-tabaqat al-atibba'; Characteristics and Organization 84 General History o/Tabaqat and Biographical Dictionaries 92 Specific Studies on Biographical Dictionaries; Motives and Development 98 ANALYSIS OF THE 'UYUN AL-ANBA' FI-TABAQAT AL-A TIBBA' 113 Introduction 113 CLASS IN MEDIEVAL ISLAM 114 A General Look 114 Physicians and Class 118 IBN ABI USAYBI'AH'S METHODOLOGY 131 Audience 132 Sources 135 Anecdotes 141 Poetry 143 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS-Con/muet/ POWER AND PRESTIGE 145 Introduction 145 Education 147 The Book 164 The Superiority of Medicine 169 Other Forms of Status 177 Proximity to the Ruler 177 Lineage 182 Character and Ethics 183 Signs of Distinction 188 Titles 189 Mounts 190 Clothes 192 Wealth 193 CONCLUSION 196 TRANSLATION 200 Introduction 200 Chapter Fourteen: The Classes of Famous Physicians of the Physicians of Egypt 204 REFERENCES 356 8 ABSTRACT This dissertation is a partial translation of the thirteenth-century Islamic physician, Ibn Abi Usaybi'ah's biographical dictionary, the 'Uyun al-anba 'fi tabaqat al-atibba' {Sources of Information on Classes of Physicians)BX\d an historical analysis of the 'Uyun. The 'Uyun is a biographical dictionary which encompasses the biographies of physicians from the ancient Greek period through the author's time, the thirteenth century. It contains the lives and works of the most elite physicians of these periods. The translation portion of the dissertation is of the fourteenth chapter of the 'Uyun which is the chapter on physicians of Egypt from the 'Abbasid period to the early Mamluk period. The historical analysis of this dissertation is an examination of the contents of the 'Uyun to see what it reveals about the status of physicians during this period and about the author's intentions in writing this book. Since the author was from Syria and studied in both Syria and Egypt, I have based my analysis mainly on the translation of the chapter on Egypt and also on evidence found in the fifteenth chapter on Syria. Thus, this dissertation serves to give modem scholars incite into the mentality of the author and his class during this time period in the Islamic world. 9 INTRODUCTION The 'Uyun al-anba 'fi-tabaqat al-atibba' (Sources of Information on the Classes of Physicians) is the first biographical dictionary in Arabic literature to deal exclusively with physicians. Dictionaries such as this were useful in recording the lives of various groups and classes of people in the medieval Islamic world. This study will discuss the reasons why the thirteenth-century physician Ibn Abi Usaybi'ah's biographical dictionary was composed and preserved. My study is largely based on a translation of a portion of the 'Uyun. This is the chapter on physicians of Egypt. I chose this chapter because Egypt was the political and intellectual center of the Ayyubid Empire during most of the author's lifetime. In this essay, I will argue that there are two reasons for the creation of this dictionary. The first is that the 'Uyun was an attempt to define the physician as a notable class in order to preserve his status in society. The author used the form of the biographical dictionary, not simply to present individual biographies of great men of medicine, but to show the physician as part of a powerful group with an unbroken connection to a past tradition. I will argue that by the thirteenth century, the elite physician had formed an exclusive high ranked group. The 'Uyun is an attempt to define entry into this class and to maintain the influence and rank this class enjoyed by the thirteenth century. 10 The second reason centers around the personal motives of the author, Ibn Abi Usaybi'ah. His personal history and career indicate he was ambitious and wished to leave his mark on the history of his profession. Furthermore, he wished to gain recognition from his colleagues and patrons through the writing of this book. I will begin the paper with a review of the literature. In it, I will examine the sources for the history of Islamic medicine, including those sources which have used the 'Uyun as a basis for the study. I will consider the contributions these studies have made to our understanding of our text and its author.