The retirement years and the great works, 743-749/1342-1349

Al-Umari lived retired at Damascus from 743 until his death, and his great books were most likely the fruit of that leisure: the encyclopaedic Masalik al-Absar fi Mamalik al-Amsar in more than twenty volumes, al-Ta'rif bi'l-Mustalah al-Sharif on the chancery's order and correspondence, and a four-volume history of his family, the House of Umar — beside essays, ornate prose and much verse ^{1 2}.

In the preface to the Masalik he begged pardon that he had 'not braved Tihama nor plunged into Iraq' — a book gathered from books and mouths, not eyewitness; both works stayed the Mamluk authorities on administration, and al-Qalqashandi modelled his Subh al-A'sha on them with due reference ^{3 2}.