Writing History through Imagery in Ibn Fadlallah al-Umari's Work

Abstract

This research investigates how Ibn Fadlallah al-Umari wrote about historic events through imagery. It describes the way this author documented significant events, such as the flood of the Umayyad Mosque, using elevated language and beautiful style that was unusual among historians. Ibn Fadlallah managed to do so in a letter of love and friendship, sent to his companion and well-known writer Salah al-Dīn al-Ṣafadī.

This study paves the way for the subject by introducing the writer and explaining literary imagery, and then examines the literary devices used in the letter. It mentions the rhetorical devices and figurative language Ibn Fadlallah used to convert his text into theatrical scenes that pictured extreme winter; methods Ibn Fadlallah used to feed the imagination of his friend utilizing the best eloquent phrases he could come up with.