This new book explores the ways in which medieval Muslims, saw, interpreted and represented the world around them in their writings.
Focusing mainly on the eighth to tenth centuries AD, known as the formative period of Islamic thought, the book examines historiography, prose literature and those Arabic prose genres which do not fall neatly into either category.
Filling a gap in the literature by providing detailed discussions of both primary texts and of recent scholarship, the book will be welcomed by students and scholars of classical Arabic literature, Islamic history and medieval history.