Mirror of time in histories of the notables by Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi

مرآة الزمان في تواريخ الأعيان by سبط ابن الجوزي

Aliases

Aliases	Arabic
Sibṭ ibn al-Jawzi	سبط ابن الجوزي
Shams al-din Abu al-Muzaffar Yusuf ibn Kizoghlu

Background and Biography

Background and Biography

Excerpts

English from Guidoboni and Comastri (2005)

• from Guidoboni and Comastri (2005)

In the month of Shawwal, there were terrible earthquakes in Syria, causing severe damage at Damascus: the balconies of the mosque [the Great Umayyad Mosque] collapsed, as well as the tops of the minarets, which shook like palm trees on a stormy day. [...] The earthquakes which struck Aleppo were even stronger: half of its citadel collapsed, and there was severe damage in the city; 80,000 people are reckoned to have died in the ruins. The walls of all the fortresses were damaged, and the people fled into the countryside. Hisn al-Akrad collapsed, and no trace of its walls was left. The same thing happened at Hamat and Hims. When Nur al-Din came to Aleppo, he was worried that the collapse of its walls would expose it to enemy attack. The earthquake was felt everywhere. Muslim fortresses were destroyed throughout the province of Syria: at Aleppo, at other towns, and at Antioch. The earthquake even reached Laodicea and Jabala, and struck all the coastal towns, as far as Byzantine territory. They say that the only man to be killed at Damascus was struck by a piece of stone as he climbed the Jayrun steps, the entire population having fled into the desert. The earthquake then reached the Euphrates, struck Mawsil, Sinjar, Nisibin, al-Ruha, Harran, Al-Raqqa, Mardin and other towns as well, reaching as far as Bagdad, Basra and other towns in Iraq: No-one had ever seen such an earthquake since the beginning of Islam.

English from Ambraseys (2009)

• from Ambraseys (2009)

(a.H. 565) During Shawwal an earthquake occurred in Sham: it destroyed the greater part of Damascus, knocking down the crenellations of the mosque and causing the roof of the rostrum to collapse, which shook like a date-palm in a great wind.

It was worse in Aleppo, where half of the citadel was destroyed, and a great part of the city, where 80 000 inhabitants were buried under the ruins, and the walls of the fortifications collapsed. The inhabitants fled into the fields.

The citadel of Hisn al-Akrad collapsed, not a trace of the wall remaining. There was similar damage at Hamat and Homs. Nureddin travelled to Aleppo, which was exposed to the enemy, having been bereft of its ramparts.

This earthquake affected the whole earth (terre): it destroyed all the Muslim citadels of the land of Sham: Aleppo, ail its capitals, Antioch, Latakia, Jabalah, and all the cities of the littoral as far as the land of the Romans [Rum, i.e. the Byzantine Empire].

It is said that at Damascus only one man died: he was on the stairs of Jiron and was hit on the head by a stone. He was the only man to stay behind, while all the [other] inhabitants had left the town and made for the desert.

The earthquake spread as far as the Euphrates, reaching Mosul, Sinjar, Nasibin [Nusaybin], Odessa [ar-Raha], Hran, ar-Ruqat, and Mardin, as well as other regions: it spread towards Baghdad, Wasit, Basra and all the regions of Iraq.

Such an earthquake had not been seen since the beginning of Islam. (Sibt ibn al-Jauzi, Mir. 8/174).

Chronology

Date	Reference	Corrections	Notes
18 June to 16 July 1170 CE	Shawwal A.H. 565	none	Calculated with CHRONOS year provided by Ambraseys (2009)

Seismic Effects

• there were terrible earthquakes in Syria
• an earthquake occurred in Sham
• severe damage at Damascus: the balconies of the mosque [the Great Umayyad Mosque] collapsed, as well as the tops of the minarets, which shook like palm trees on a stormy day.
• The earthquakes which struck Aleppo were even stronger: half of its citadel collapsed, and there was severe damage in the city; 80,000 people are reckoned to have died in the ruins. The walls of all the fortresses were damaged, and the people fled into the countryside
• Hisn al-Akrad collapsed, and no trace of its walls was left.
• The same thing happened at Hamat and Hims
• The earthquake was felt everywhere
• Aleppo [...] was exposed to the enemy having [lost] its ramparts
• Muslim fortresses were destroyed throughout the province of Syria: at Aleppo, at other towns, and at Antioch
• it destroyed all the Muslim citadels of the land of Sham: Aleppo, ail its capitals, Antioch, Latakia, Jabalah, and all the cities of the littoral as far as the land of the Romans [Rum, i.e. the Byzantine Empire].
• The earthquake even reached Laodicea and Jabala, and struck all the coastal towns, as far as Byzantine territory
• They say that the only man to be killed at Damascus was struck by a piece of stone as he climbed the Jayrun steps, the entire population having fled into the desert
• The earthquake then reached the Euphrates, struck Mawsil, Sinjar, Nisibin, al-Ruha, Harran, Al-Raqqa, Mardin and other towns as well, reaching as far as Bagdad, Basra and other towns in Iraq

Locations

• Syria
• Damascus
• Aleppo
• Hisn al-Akrad
• Hamat
• Homs
• Antioch
• Laodicea
• Jabala
• Mosul
• Sinjar
• Nisibin [Nusaybin]
• al-Ruha [Odessa]
• Harran
• Al-Raqqa
• Mardin
• Byzantine territory
• Euphrates
• Bagdad
• Basra
• other towns in Iraq

Online Versions and Further Reading

References

Notes

Ibn al-Jawzi vs. Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi