The Turco-Mongol Invasions and the Lords of Armenia in the 13 ...

their Church . Considerably less important than Bar
Hebraeus' work is Abu'l Fida's Universal History, an
2
annal which reaches the year 1328 . He based himself on
former historians but also included original sections
on the countries he had visited in person such as Syria,
Egypt, parts of Arabia and Cappadocia as far as Caesarea:.
The Universal History contains historical information on
the emirs of Rum and Syria, the rise of Georgia in the
12-13th centuries, Jalal al-Din, on the latter'a death,
and on the Mongol invasions of Rum. In addition, Abu'l Fida
mentions the Armenian backgrounds of numerous Zslamized
officials in the various Middle Eastern countries in the
13-14th centuries.
1 The great value of Bar Hebraeus' Chronography was recognized
during the author's own lifetime (Budge, pp.xxviiixxiz)
when "foremost men among the Arabs asked him to turn
the Chronography which he had composed in Syriac into the
Saracenic (Arabic) language so that they also might read
and enjoy it. To this the Maphrian agreed and straightway
he began to turn the [book into Arabic] in noble and exceedingly
eloquent language". A Latin translation of Bar
Hebraeus1 Arabic translation was published in 1663 by Pococke.
The Syriac text of the Chronography published by Bedjan
in 1890 was translated into English by E.A. Wallie Budge
in 1932.
2 Abu'l Fida, the Arab historian and geographer was descended
from the line of Saladin's father. Bom in Damscus in 1273,
he received a military and literary education, participating
in a series of campaigns and wars. In 1310, the sultan Malik
Nasr granted him the rule of Hamat, for his services against
the sultan's adversaries Baibars and the Mongols. He died in
1333 after ruling Hamat for twenty years [C. Huart, op.cit.,
PP. 337-38] .
3 Arabakan a^byuraera Hayaetani ev harevan erkrneri masin
[Arabic Sources on, Armenia and Neighboring Countrj esl,
HJT*. ftaibandyan, trans.(Erevan, 1965) p. 211. Kalbandyan's
17