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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
1st passage - English from Ambraseys (2009)

(a.H. 597) ... 30,000 victims were buried under the ruins and Acre was destroyed together with Tyre and all the coastal citadels. The earthquake spread as far as Damascus and caused the exterior minaret of the mosque to fall, as well as the greater part of al-Kalasa, and the Baymaristan of Nureddin. Most of the houses in Damascus were destroyed, with few exceptions. People fled to the square, sixteen of the crenellations fell from the mosque, and the dome of Nasr split in two before men's eyes. Walkers had left Baalbek to pick currants in the mountains of Lebanon, and the two mountains closed over them and they were wiped out. The citadel of Baalbek was destroyed in spite of its careful construction.

The earthquake also spread towards Homs, Hamah and Aleppo, and all the capitals. It tore through the sea towards Cyprus and there were some very high waves, [as a result of which] boats were driven on to the shore and shipwrecked. The earthquake continued in the direction of Akhlat and Armenia, Azerbaijan and al-Jazirah. The number of victims in that year reached 1,100,000 men and it lasted for the time taken to read the Surat al-Kahf, then there was a succession of further shocks.' (Sibt ibn al-Jauzi, Mir'at 8/331).

2nd passage - English from Ambraseys (2009)

(a.H. 598) In the month of Sha'aban a prodigious earthquake took place and Homs was destroyed with its citadel, and the watchtower which also dominates Hisn al-Akrad. The earthquake spread as far as Cyprus, Nablus and the neighbouring regions.

This earthquake affected three of the coastal cities, viz. Tyre, Tripolis and `Araqa, and it caused considerable destruction in the Muslim territories in the north. It was felt as far as Damascus, where it shook the tops of the minarets of the mosque, and several crenellations of the north wall.

A maghrebin was killed at Kalasa and also a Mamluk Turk, [the latter] a slave of an official who lived in the Street of the Samaritans: this occurred at daybreak on Monday 26th Sha'aban (20th Ab in the Syrian calendar). The earthquake lasted until the following morning. (Sibt ibn al-Jauzi, Mir'at 8/ 331).

...

(a.H. 599/20 September 1202] At the beginning of Muharram, on the night of Saturday, shooting stars appeared in the sky, from the east to the west: they looked like locusts spread from right to left. Such a phenomenon had never been seen, except at the birth of the Prophet, then in a.H. 241 and 600.' (Sibt ibn al-Jauzi, Mir'at 8/333).

...

Ibn al-Jauzi has said1 in his al-Mirat2 that in the month of Shaban of [5]98 [26 April to 24 May] a very violent earthquake occurred which split [n. 334; B text has 'tomba'] the citadel of Hims and caused the observatory of the same to collapse; it razed Hisan al-Akrad and reached Nablus, destroying everything which had remained there (ce qui avait subsiste). (Sibt Ibn al-Jauzi, al-Mirat2, 8/311).
Footnotes

1 Ibn al-Jawzi died in 1200 CE - before the earthquake struck.

2 Ibn al-Jawzi did not write Mirat. His grandson Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi wrote Mirat

2nd passage - English from Guidoboni and Comastri (2005)

In the month of Shdban, there was a violent earthquake which caused destruction in the citadel at Hims and the collapse of its guard tower; Hisn al-Akrad was destroyed. The earthquake also struck the island of Cyprus, and reached as far as Nabulus, destroying that region. This tremendous earthquake caused destruction in all the northern Muslim countries. At Damascus, it caused the collapse of the tops of the minarets in the mosque [the Great Umayyad Mosque], as well as some merlons on the north side. A man from the Maghreb was killed at the Kallasa lime kilns; and a Turk also died: the slave of a money changer who lived in the Sumaysat district. It happened at dawn on Monday 26 Shdban, which corresponds to 20 Ab [August in the Syriac calendar]. The next morning there was a weak shock.

Chronology

Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi appears to have written about the same earthquake twice giving it two different dates - i.e., creating a duplicate. He dated it incorrectly in the first passage and dated it more or less correctly in the second. Like other Arabic writers, his second date was daybreak 21 May instead of 20 May 1202 CE. This likely stems from a calendar difference between the modern Islamic calendar and the one used at the time. He also dates the earthquake in the second passage to 20 Ab which in the Syriac calendar equates to 20 August but in an older predecessor of the Syriac calendar (Babylonian Akkadian) equates to 20 May. He probably meant 20 May.
1st passage
Date Reference Corrections Notes
12 Oct. 1200 CE to 30 Sept. 1201 CE A.H. 597 none calculated using CHRONOS
2nd passage
Date Reference Corrections Notes
daybreak 21 May 1202 CE daybreak 26 Sha'ban A.H. 598 none
daybreak 20 May or 20 Aug. 1202 CE daybreak 20th Ab A.H. 598 none
  • Date (20th Ab) specified in Syriac calendar
  • Year specified in Islamic calendar
  • Ab is August in the Syriac Calendar but in the Akkadian Babylonian calendar (a predecessor of the Syriac calendar) Ab referred to May
Seismic Effects

1st passage
  • 30,000 victims were buried under the ruins and Acre was destroyed together with Tyre and all the coastal citadels
  • The earthquake spread as far as Damascus and caused the exterior minaret of the mosque to fall, as well as the greater part of al-Kalasa, and the Baymaristan of Nureddin
  • Most of the houses in Damascus were destroyed, with few exceptions
  • People fled to the square (Damascus)
  • sixteen of the crenellations fell from the mosque, and the dome of Nasr split in two before men's eyes (Damascus)
  • Walkers had left Baalbek to pick currants in the mountains of Lebanon, and the two mountains closed over them and they were wiped out
  • The citadel of Baalbek was destroyed
  • The earthquake also spread towards Homs, Hamah and Aleppo, and all the capitals
  • It tore through the sea towards Cyprus and there were some very high waves, [as a result of which] boats were driven on to the shore and shipwrecked
  • The earthquake continued in the direction of Akhlat and Armenia, Azerbaijan and al-Jazirah
  • The number of victims in that year reached 1,100,000 men (JW: exaggerated and combining plague and earthquake victims)
  • it lasted for the time taken to read the Surat al-Kafirun - about 45 seconds.
    Surat al-Kafirun



  • then there was a succession of further shocks
2nd passage
  • a prodigious earthquake took place
  • Homs was destroyed with its citadel
  • the watchtower which also dominates Hisn al-Akrad [was destroyed]
  • The earthquake spread as far as Cyprus, Nablus and the neighbouring regions
  • This earthquake affected three of the coastal cities, viz. Tyre, Tripolis and `Araqa
  • it caused considerable destruction in the Muslim territories in the north
  • It was felt as far as Damascus, where it shook the tops of the minarets of the mosque, and several crenellations of the north wall
  • A maghrebin was killed at Kalasa lime kilns and also a Mamluk Turk, [the latter] a slave of an official who lived in the Sumaysat district (Street of the Samaritans)
  • The earthquake lasted until the following morning or the next morning there was a weak shock
Locations

1st passage
  • Acre
  • Tyre
  • all the coastal citadels
  • Damascus
  • landslide (?) in the mountains of Lebanon outside of Baalbek
  • Baalbek
  • Homs
  • Hamah (Hama)
  • Aleppo
  • and all the capitals
  • the greater part of al-Kalasa (Damascus)
  • the Baymaristan of Nureddin (Damascus)
  • tsunami - It tore through the sea towards Cyprus
  • Akhlat
  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • al-Jazirah
2nd passage
  • Homs
  • Hisn al-Akrad
  • Nablus and the neighbouring regions
  • Tyre
  • Tripolis
  • `Araqa
  • Damascus
  • Muslim territories in the north
  • Cyprus
  • Kalasa (Damascus)
Sources
Sources

Online Versions and Further Reading
References

Notes
Ibn al-Jawzi vs. Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi