Said Ashour

Who is Said Ashour?

Said A. Ashour was a professor of History in Cairo University, he authored some 22 books Partial listing of Ashour books and published numerous papers and articles over his long career. Dr. Ashour was Chair of the Middle Ages section for many decades at the History Departments of Cairo University, Beirut Arab University [Beirut Arab University] in Lebanon and Kuwait University. Dr. Ashour taught at Alexandria University and was a visiting Professor in several universities throughout the Middle East.

Ashour was amongst the first Muslim historians to specialize in the History of the Crusades in the Middle Ages and the European Middle Ages history. Perhaps his two most famous works are the encyclopedic "The Crusade Movement" in two parts and "The History of Europe in the Middle Ages". In the later stages of Ashour's career he returned to his early keen interest in social history; with his post graduate students he undertook the tremendous effort of manuscript verification, editing and publication of the epic work of Middle Age historian Al Maqrizi[Makrizi] on the manners and customs of the Mam'mlouki State.

In Kuwait, Dr. Ashour, a Sunni Muslim, gained a great deal of recognition and admiration amongst the minority Shia'a community from his work on bridging the gap between Islam's two main sects. Ashour was a long serving Chairman of the Society of Arab Historians, an academic institute encompassing membership from the entire Arab World and beyond and has received numerous honors and awards including several of Egypt’s highest national honors from Presidents Nasser, Sadat & Mubarak.