“None of the Kings on Earth is Their Equal in ʿaṣabiyya”: The Mongols in Ibn Khaldūn's Works

The rise of the Mongol empire was a shock to the Arab world and led many Arab authors to describe these conquerors in decidedly negative terms. The great historian Ibn Khaldūn also discusses the Mongols' rise and their conquests. As a nomadic people they challenged and defeated sedentary populations and founded their own dynasties. Consequently, the Mongol conquests perfectly fit Ibn Khaldūn's theories on ?a?abiyya – which is superior in nomadic groups – and the rise and fall of dynasties. For the Maghrebi historian, the rise of the Mongols was a natural step in the course of history. This consequently colours his view of the Mongols and affects the way he portrays them, especially regarding the themes of violence and religion – recurring themes in many contemporary works dealing with the Mongols – and in his depiction of the Turco-Mongolian conqueror Timur, who is presented in a more favourable light by Ibn Khaldūn than he is in many contemporary works.     

Kinship,Camaraderie and Contestation: Fāṭimid Relations with the Ashrāf in the Fourth/Tenth Century.

The founding of the Fā?imid caliphate across the southern Mediterranean, and then in Egypt, Syria and the ?ijāz at the turn of the fourth/tenth century, necessitated its negotiation with the ashrāf, those who claimed lineal descent from the Prophet Mu?ammad, and who by this time had gained significant influence as a social class based on their charismatic descent. While other dynastic powers fostered relationships with various members of the ashrāf, the Fā?imid–ashrāf dynamics were distinctive in that the Fā?imids legitimised their rule as Ismā?īlī Shī?ī imām-caliphs, based on their claim of descent from the Prophet Mu?ammad, and as the sole successors to his authority and leadership over the Islamic world. Consequently, Fā?imid–ashrāf relations were permeated by fraternal camaraderie as well as by competing contestations based on their shared claim to Prophetic lineage.     

The Saljuq Turks’ Conversion to Islam: The Crusading Sources

This article contributes to the important debate over the conversion of the Turks to Islam. Previously, it was thought that the Turks abandoned their former steppe faith and customs very swiftly to become staunch Sunni Muslims, but this view has recently been challenged by a number of studies. The current consensus seems to be that the Turks’ adoption of Islam was a process of far longer duration, spanning many decades. This article broadens this discussion by demonstrating that the chronicles written by the First Crusaders contain much useful information that is pertinent to this question. It works through these texts, showing that they can shed new light on this point.     

Islamic Historians of the Ayyūbid Era and Muslim Rulers from the Early Crusading Period: A Study in the Use of History

This article examines the presentation of Muslim rulers from the early crusading period, 490–540/1097–1146 in six of the main chronicles written during the first half of the seventh/thirteenth century. It discusses the themes, ideas and topoi in each, demonstrating that the historians appear to have been divided into two ‘camps’ over their presentation of these rulers, based on their personal views of the rulers of their time. The article also examines why this division may have occurred, and considers its ramifications for modern scholarship of Arabic historiography, Islamic history and the history of the Crusades, in both the sixth/twelfth and seventh/thirteenth centuries.     

Shi‘ism and the Early Dinars of the Fāṭimid Imam-caliph al-Mu‘izz li-dīn Allāh (341–365/952–975): An Analytic Overview

The Imam-caliph al-Mu‘izz al-Dīn Allāh undertook a series of monetary changes which were to have a monumental impact on all future Fā?imid coinage, would lead to many imitations even after the dynasty had fallen, and create an easily identifiable pattern that attracted medieval merchants and modern collectors. The fact that al-Mu‘izz's coinage went through three stages with slight variations in the wording and layout indicates that he was determined to create a new model for Fā?imid coinage which would distinguish it from the Aghlabid and ‘Abbāsid coinage that preceded and competed with it. In contrast, Sijilmasa coinage was so conservative in layout due to its role in the African trade.     

王军霞、曲云霞破3000米跑世界纪录时的技术特征

采用影片解析与生物力学分析法,揭示了王军霞、曲云霞3000米跑的分段时间与速度节奏、步长与步频的变化规律、下肢支撑与摆动等主要技术特征。     

高校体育课准备活动开展健身操教学的实验研究

把大众健身操引入准备活动的实验研究表明：健身操练习法能活跃课堂气氛,培养学生能力,发展其个性,提高身体素质,树立终身体育的思想,是一种可行的准备活动练习法。     

Objektorientierter Entwurf eines flexiblen Workflow-Management-Systems

Zusammenfassung.   Dieser Beitrag enth?lt die wesentlichen konzeptionellen überlegungen zur Entwicklung eines flexiblen Workflow-Management-Systems. Ausgehend von einer Diskussion m?glicher Modellierungsalternativen wird unter Verwendung objektorientierter Modellierungstechniken ein Workflow-Meta-Schema entwickelt, das die relevanten Entit?ten klassifiziert und ihre Beziehungen abbildet. Anhand eines Beispiels werden die getroffenen Entwurfentscheidungen ausführlich begründet. Schlie?lich werden Zust?nde und Zustandsüberg?nge von Workflow-Instanzen beschrieben, und es wird diskutiert, wie dynamische Ver?nderungen von Workflows zur Laufzeit durchgeführt werden k?nnen, um laufende Workflows dynamisch an ver?nderte Umweltbedingungen anzupassen. Eingegangen am 20. Dezember 1997 / Angenommen am 24. Juli 1998     

Erfahrungen mit dem Einsatz anwendungsspezifischer Piktogramme zur partizipativen Anforderungsanalyse

Zusammenfassung. Die Erfahrungen aus einem Projekt im Bereich Krankenhausinformationssysteme werden in diesem Papier diskutiert. Insbesondere konzentrieren wir uns dabei auf den Einsatz von Techniken zur partizipativen Anforderungsanalyse und die dabei für die Anwender erreichte Nachvollziehbarkeit von den ermittelten Anforderungen zum entwickelten System. Ein zentraler Aspekt ist hierbei der durchg?ngige Einsatz von anwendungsspezifischen Piktogrammen in der Modellierung der Anforderungen und in der Implementierung der graphischen Benutzungsschnittstellen, wobei auch das frühzeitige Prototyping zur überprüfung der ermittelten Anforderungen eine wichtige Rolle spielt. Eingegangen am 16. Januar 1998 / Angenommen am 6. Oktober 1998