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.[1] He was an eyewitness to and provides the most precise information about the siege of Damascus in May–June 1229.[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 died five years later in Damascus.[1]
Five works by Abū Shāma survive. All the rest have been lost, some in a fire that destroyed his library. 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.[3] There are partial translations in French[c] and German.[3] Abū Shāma also wrote commentaries on: