Ibn Bibi

Ibn Bibi (c. 1240s – after 1281), also known as Nasir al-Din Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Bibi, was a Persian historian and author of the al-Awamir al-Alaiya fi'l-Umur al-Ala'iya (alternatively al-Awāmir al-ʿAlāʾīya fī l-Umūr al-ʿAlāʾīya), a major historical source for the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum in Anatolia.

Born into a family of Persian administrative officials and scholars, Ibn Bibi served the Seljuk court. His father, Majd al-Din Muhammad, was a high-ranking official and an important figure in the Sultanate. The family name "Bibi" was actually an honorary title held by his grandmother, a woman of considerable influence and status.

Ibn Bibi's al-Awamir al-Alaiya covers the period from the reign of Rukn al-Din Suleiman Shah II (1196-1204) to the early years of Ghiyath al-Din Kaykhusraw III (ruled 1266–1284). It provides valuable insights into the political, social, and economic conditions of the Seljuk Sultanate during a tumultuous period marked by Mongol influence and internal strife.

The work is particularly significant because it offers a court perspective on events and includes information not found in other contemporary sources. While sometimes biased in favor of the Seljuks, it is considered a crucial primary source for understanding Seljuk history and its relations with neighboring powers, including the Mongols and other Anatolian principalities.

Ibn Bibi's writing style is characterized by elaborate prose and a detailed account of events. The al-Awamir al-Alaiya remains a vital resource for historians studying the late Seljuk period and the transition towards the establishment of the Beyliks and the eventual rise of the Ottoman Empire in Anatolia. His later life and death are not well documented.