Ibn Bassam

Who is Ibn Bassam?

Ibn Bassam was a poet and historian from al-Andalus. He was born in Santarém and died in 1147.

Ibn Bassam describes how the incessant invasions of the Castillans forced him to run away from Santarém in Portugal, "the last of the cities of the west," after seeing his lands ravaged and his wealth destroyed, a ruined man with no possessions save his battered sword.

Especially well-known is his anthology "Dhakhira fî mahâsin ahl al-Gazira" one of the most important sources of information in the field of history, literature and culture of the Almoravid dynasty. It was edited in eight volumes by Ihsan Abbas, written in rhymed prose, many of its biographies are contemporary and filled out with details taken from the Kitab al-Matin of Ibn Hayyan. The parts taken from that book are easily distinguishable, because Ibn Bassam prefixes the words qala Ibn Hayyan and concludes the extract with intaha kalam Ibn Hayyan.