Syria, using the term in its old, geographical sense, occupies a unique place in the annals of the world. Especially because of the inclusion of Palestine and Phoenicia within its ancient boundaries, it has made a more significant contribution to the moral and spiritual progress of mankind than any other comparable land. Small as it appears on a map or a globe, its historical importance is boundless, its influence universal. – Philip K. Hitti
Philip Khuri Hitti was a Lebanese-American professor and scholar at Princeton and Harvard University. He was an authority on Arab and Middle Eastern history, Islam, and Semitic languages.
He produced one of several translations of Usama ibn Munquid’s most famous book, the Kitab al-I’tibar. The title is translated several ways, most recently as the Book of Contemplation or The Book of Instructive Example). Professor Hitti titled his translation as An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades which is a bit more poetic. The book was written by Usama as a gift to Saladin around 1183.
It is not exactly a “memoir”, as Philip Hitti translated the title. However, it does include many autobiographical details that are incidental to the main point. It was meant to be “a book of examples (‘ibar) from which to draw lessons.
The book provides vivid and fascinating details of daily life from the perspective of our distant ancestors. He was a member of the last of a great dynasty, the Banu Munquid clan which ruled the fortress of Shayzar and from whom we believe we are descended. This book can be viewed in the Bibliography section and family members can download it for their reading pleasure.