Ibn al-Abbar's embassy to the sultan of Ifriqiya for beleaguered Valencia, 635/1238

وفد ابن الأبار إلى سلطان إفريقية يستغيث به لبلنسية، ٦٣٥هـ

c. 1238 CE · c. 635 AH

Tunis

When James I of Aragon besieged Valencia in Ramadan 635 (April–May 1238), Ibn al-Abbar was sent with a deputation to the Hafsid sovereign Abu Zakariyya' of Tunis to beg assistance; he recited before him his qasida rhyming in sin on 4 Muharram (17 August 1238 as printed), painting a moving picture of his besieged native city 1. The sultan hastened to aid its people, loading fleets with money, provisions and clothing 2.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Mongol and Post-Mongol Era
Region
al-Andalus & Europe · Maghreb
Review
Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

In time

123012401250 c.
The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks · The Mongol and Post-Mongol Era

In space

Tunis

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Overview

When James I of Aragon besieged Valencia in Ramadan 635 (April–May 1238), Ibn al-Abbar was sent with a deputation to the Hafsid sovereign Abu Zakariyya' of Tunis to beg assistance; he recited before him his qasida rhyming in sin on 4 Muharram, painting a moving picture of his besieged native city 1. The sultan hastened to aid its people, loading fleets with money, provisions and clothing 2.

Connections

Explore the connections

Had participant
Ibn al-Abbar· Abu Zakariya al-Hafsi
Occurred at
Tunis

People and things also explored

Ibn al-Abbar leaves fallen Valencia and settles at Tunis as head of the chancellery, 636/1238· Abu Zakariya al-Hafsi's break with the Almohads· The 'alama affair: Ibn al-Abbar dismissed, confined, then pardoned at Tunis, ~645/1247· Ibn al-Abbar finishes al-Takmila li-Kitab al-Sila at Tunis, ~650/1252· The killing of Ibn al-Abbar at Tunis, 20 Muharram 658/6 January 1260· Ibn al-Abbar· Tunis· al-Zaytuna Mosque

Sources

  1. Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 3 p. 705
  2. Nafh al-Tib min Ghusn al-Andalus al-Ratib — al-Maqqari , p. 464
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Ibn al-Abbar's embassy to the sultan of Ifriqiya for beleaguered Valencia, 635/1238”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/ibn-al-abbar-embassy-tunis-635/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-01.

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Related

Ibn al-Abbar leaves fallen Valencia and settles at Tunis as head of the chancellery, 636/1238

Ibn al-Abbar returned to Valencia but left it a few days after it was captured by James I on 17 Safar 636 (28 September 1238); he stopped at Bougie before going on to Tunis, where Abu Zakariyya' received him favourably and appointed him chief of his chancellery.