Study of the Manuscript “The Procession of the Turks and the King’s Star” by “Ibn Shaheen Al-Zahiri” (813-873 AH / 1410-1468 AD)

Abstract

Intellectual heritage in Arab and Islamic history is a source of pride for the Arab nation. It is evidence of nobility and authenticity, as it represents the link between the past of this nation and its present. It is the extension of the ancestors back to the future and the continuation of what the children and grandchildren inherited from the fathers and grandfathers. It contributes to shaping its future. and the material heritage in general; manuscripts in particular are distinguished evidence of heritage because they reflect the identity with which they were imprinted.

This research embodies an identification card by revealing for the first time this intellectual heritage within the folds of a manuscript from the Mamluk era that has been verified for the first time. This manuscript was entitled “The Procession of the Turks and the King’s Star” by its author, “Ibn Shaheen Al-Zahiri”, and between the pages of this research, the researcher attempts to provide an introductory overview of the author. Introducing his book, I hope that in the future, an adequate and comprehensive investigation of this book will be revealed.

The study began by defining the author, especially his being a government employee and an eyewitness, as he is of great importance in understanding aspects of his personality. Then, it touched quickly on the beginning of the era of encyclopedias and their development, and it entered into a description of the manuscript in the hands of the researcher and the divisions of the book.