At a glance
- Roles
- Artist · Poet
- Era
- The Mongol and Post-Mongol Era
- Region
- Levant & Iraq
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
Life in time
ʿAli ibn Sudun
ʿAli ibn Sudun al-Dimashqi al-Shafiʿi. He was born in Damascus in 784 AH and was the son of a judge. When he reached adulthood he took up mockery and jest, and he was the first to introduce shadow-puppet theatre to Damascus. He worked at it and his fame grew. Amirs and grandees enjoyed his company and drew close to him for his jokes and his laughter, and for no other reason. He used to bring many troubles to gatherings, joked a great deal, and went so far in frivolity that he mocked people of learning. He composed a well-known poem in which he mourned himself.
He died in Damascus in Rajab 868 AH, at about eighty-five years of age 1.
People and things also explored
al-Attarine Madrasa, Fez· Experience versus service, and self-development· Scientific matn (condensed school text)· Reading and culture (al-qira'a wa-l-thaqafa)· Motivation· The youth cultural crisis· Life management and choosing one's field· Madrasa
Sources
- Shadharat al-Dhahab — Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali , p. 308-309
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “'Ali ibn Sudun”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/ibn-sudun/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-18.