MAMLUK SYRIA, 15TH CENTURY

'Imad al-Din was born in Isfahan in 1125. After working in Baghdad for the caliphal administration, he was employed by Nur al-Din Zenki and by Salah al-Din Ayyub after Nur al-Din's death in 1174. This work Barq al-Shami, alongside the Fath al-Qussi fi al-Fath al-Qudsi ("Eloquence of the Conquest of the Holy City"), is a celebration of the triumphs of Saladin over the Crusaders. 'Imad al-din's works are one of the major sources of information on that important historical period 727bert Irwin, Anthology of Classical Arabic Literature, 1999, chap.7).