Abstract:
In this paper I will introduce my new English translation of one of the best known texts of the earliest period of Islamic History, the Futūḥ al-Buldān of Ahmad b. Yaḥya al-Balādhurī (wr. C. 865 CE) I shall explain why I have made this new translation and also the nature of the book, al-Balādhurī’s use of the sources and the reasons why he wrote his book in the way in which he did and his use of language. I will also talk about my commentary on the text. I hope this will give the opportunity for a wider discussion of the early Islamic historical tradition.
Bio:
Hugh Kennedy worked from 1972 to 2007 in the Department of Medieval History in University of St Andrews, finishing as Professor of Middle Eastern History. Since 2007 he has been Professor of Arabic at SOAS University of London. In 2013 he was elected a fellow of the British Academy. He has written ten single author monographs on early Islamic History, edited four volumes of essays and numerous academic articles. His main interests include early Arabic historiography, political and military history and the use of archaeological and material evidence for early Islamic history. He is currently writing a monograph on the economy of the early Islamic world for Princeton UP. https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/fellows/hugh-kennedy-FBA/ https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/hugh-n-kennedy
