Ibn Khaldūn (1332–1406)

Ibn Khaldūn, Abd al-Rahmān ibn Muhammad (born in Tunis in 1332 and died in Cairo in 1406), is recognized as one of the world's major thinkers and the most famous of Arab historians. His thought bridges the gap between cultures and the intellectual traditions they foster.

Early in his life, Ibn Khaldū n engaged actively in political affairs and showed deep interest in revolutionary changes in North Africa and Muslim Spain. He studied medieval structures that hindered political, economic, and social development.

For his time, Ibn Khaldūn was an exceptionally rational thinker, best known as the author of the Muqaddimah, where he describes the science of society and civilization as a prolegomenon to the study of history.

The Muqaddimah is the introduction to his masterpiece The Book of ...