(äl-bälä'thʊrē) , d. c.892, Arab historian. One of the most important Arab historians, he spent most of his life in Baghdad and enjoyed great influence at the court of the caliph al-Mutawakkil. He traveled in Syria and Iraq, compiling information for his major works. He is regarded as a reliable source for the history of the early Arabs and the history of Muslim expansion.

Bibliography

See his The Origins of the Islamic State (tr., 2 vol., 1916–24).