Abū Shāma Shihāb al-Dīn al-Maḳdisī[a] (10 January 1203 – 13 June 1267)[b] was an Arab historian.
Abū Shāma was born in Damascus, where he passed his whole life save for one year in Egypt, a fortnight in Jerusalem and two pilgrimages to the Ḥijāz.
[2] He received a diverse Sunnī education and wrote on a variety of topics.
In 1263, he became a professor in the Damascene madrasas of al-Rukniyya and al-Ashrafiyya.
He is best known today for his three historical writings, especially his two volumes on Syria in the Zengid and Ayyubid periods:[1] Abū Shāma's works are important sources for the history of the Crusades.