The American University of Beirut (AUB) Press announced the latest release under its Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Series for Arabic and Islamic Texts: Tuḥfat al-Mulūk fī al-Taʿbīr by Abū Aḥmad Khalaf bin Aḥmad al-Sijistānī (d. 399/1009). This publication aligns with the Press’s enduring mission to revive and promote Arab and Islamic heritage through critical editions and rigorous academic scholarship.
Tuḥfat al-Mulūk is among the earliest known Arabic works on dream interpretation, attributed to the Emir of Sistan, Abū Aḥmad Khalaf bin Aḥmad, known as Khalaf al-Ṣaffār. Published here for the first time, the text makes a significant contribution to the Arab and Islamic intellectual tradition, filling a long-standing gap in the publication of heritage texts that explore the deep interconnections between culture, knowledge, and politics.
What sets this work apart is its authorship by a political ruler rather than a religious scholar or jurist. This unique perspective merges the worldview of the ruling elite with reflections drawn from everyday society, offering a compelling and nuanced portrait of mental, cultural, and social life in the fourth-century AH / tenth-century AD. Far beyond a mere compendium of dream symbols, the text serves as a dynamic historical document that captures a broad spectrum of social experience by highlighting the roles and perceptions of various societal groups, including artisans, professionals, women, children, slaves, and religious or ethnic minorities.
In addition to its intellectual and social value, Tuḥfat al-Mulūk provides rich insights into the material culture of the Islamic world at the time. The text includes detailed descriptions of architecture, furnishings, weaponry, fashion, jewelry, and everyday tools, offering an authentic glimpse into daily life and material practices. This fusion of symbolic dream language with vivid depictions of tangible reality renders the work a rare and complex source of historical and cultural meaning.
This critical edition and introductory study were prepared by Dr. Lina Jammal, a specialist in early Arabic literature, who earned her PhD from the American University of Beirut in 2021. Dr. Jammal has authored several peer-reviewed studies and has translated significant academic works into Arabic. The book also benefited from the expertise of the co-editor, Dr. Bilal Orfali, Sheikh Zayed Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies at AUB, who received his PhD from Yale University in 2009 and has an extensive publication record in both Arabic and English.
About AUB
Founded in 1866, the American University of Beirut bases its educational philosophy, standards, and practices on the American liberal arts model of higher education. A teaching-centered research university, AUB has more than 790 full-time faculty members and a student body of over 9000 students. AUB currently offers more than 140 programs leading to bachelor’s, master’s, MD, and PhD degrees. It provides medical education and training to students from throughout the region at its Medical Center that includes a full-service 365-bed hospital.
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