Amira Bennison

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Professor

Amira K. Bennison
Born
Katherine Nicole Bennison
NationalityBritish
OccupationHistorian
Academic background
Alma mater University of Cambridge

Amira K. Bennison is a professor of the history and culture of the Maghreb at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies of the University of Cambridge. She is a fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge. [1]

Contents

Education

Bennison studied history at Cambridge University, graduating in 1989 [2] before switching to Arabic. She then pursued graduate work, with an MA at Harvard in Middle Eastern Studies in 1992, and her PhD at SOAS in Moroccan History in 1996. [2]

Career

Bennison began her career as a Leverhulme research fellow at the University of Manchester. She began lecturing at Cambridge University in 1997, [2] before going on to become a fully tenured member of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. [1]

She has made several TV appearances to speak about the history of the Middle East and North Africa, and regularly contributes to BBC Radio 4's In Our Time . She has also appeared on the BBC You're Dead to Me podcast. [1]

Bennison's 2009 book The Great Caliphs: the golden age of the ‘Abbasid empire was reviewed by Hugh N. Kennedy, who said she has "a lively and engaging style", and the book will be "the first port of call for anyone looking for an introduction to the 'golden age of Islam'." [3]

In 2022, Bennison was elected chair of the Cambridge University Press academic committee. [1]

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Islam</span> Historical development of Islam

The history of Islam concerns the political, social, economic, military, and cultural developments of the Islamic civilization. Most historians believe that Islam originated with Muhammad's mission in Mecca and Medina at the start of the 7th century CE, although Muslims regard this time as a return to the original faith passed down by the Abrahamic prophets, such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, and Jesus, with the submission (Islām) to the will of God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umayyad Caliphate</span> Second Islamic caliphate (661–750 CE)

The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a member of the clan. The family established dynastic, hereditary rule with Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, long-time governor of Greater Syria, who became caliph after the end of the First Fitna in 661. After Mu'awiya's death in 680, conflicts over the succession resulted in the Second Fitna, and power eventually fell to Marwan I, from another branch of the clan. Syria remained the Umayyads' main power base thereafter, with Damascus as their capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbasid Caliphate</span> Third Islamic caliphate

The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, from whom the dynasty takes its name. They ruled as caliphs for most of the caliphate from their capital in Baghdad in modern-day Iraq, after having overthrown the Umayyad Caliphate in the Abbasid Revolution of 750 CE (132 AH). The Abbasid Revolution had its origins and first successes in the easterly region of Khorasan, far from the bases of Umayyad power in Syria and Iraq. The Abbasid Caliphate first centered its government in Kufa, modern-day Iraq, but in 762 the caliph Al-Mansur founded the city of Baghdad, near the ancient Babylonian capital city of Babylon and Persian city of Ctesiphon. Baghdad became the center of science, culture, and invention in what became known as the Golden Age of Islam. This, in addition to housing several key academic institutions, including the House of Wisdom, as well as a multiethnic and multi-religious environment, garnered it an international reputation as the "Centre of Learning".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almohad Caliphate</span> 1121–1269 Berber empire in North Africa and Iberia

The Almohad Caliphate or Almohad Empire was a North African Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa.

al-Mansur 2nd Abbasid caliph (r. 754–775)

Abū Jaʿfar ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Manṣūr usually known simply as by his laqab al-Manṣūr (المنصور) was the second Abbasid caliph, reigning from 136 AH to 158 AH succeeding his brother al-Saffah. He is known for founding the 'Round City' of Madinat al-Salam, which was to become the core of imperial Baghdad.

al-Saffah Abbasid caliph from 750 to 754

Abu al-Abbas Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Abd Allah, known by his laqab al-Saffah, was the first caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, one of the longest and most important caliphates in Islamic history.

al-Mahdi 3rd Abbasid caliph (r. 775–785)

Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Manṣūr, better known by his regnal name al-Mahdī, was the third Abbasid Caliph who reigned from 775 to his death in 785. He succeeded his father, al-Mansur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tahirid dynasty</span> 821–873 Sunni Persian dynasty of Khorasan; Abbasid vassals

The Tahirid dynasty was an Arabized Sunni Muslim dynasty of Persian dehqan origin that ruled as governors of Khorasan from 821 to 873 as well as serving as military and security commanders in Abbasid Baghdad until 891. The dynasty was founded by Tahir ibn Husayn, a leading general in the service of the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun. For his support of al-Ma'mun in the Fourth Fitna, he was granted the governance of Khorasan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ziyadat Allah I of Ifriqiya</span> Emir of Ifriqiya (817–838)

Abu Muhammad Ziyadat Allah I ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab was the Aghlabid ruler (amir) of Ifriqiya from 817 until his death in 838. His reign marked a shift towards greater control and stability for the emirs in Ifriqiya.

Hugh Nigel Kennedy is a British medieval historian and academic. He specialises in the history of the early Islamic Middle East, Muslim Iberia and the Crusades. From 1997 to 2007, he was Professor of Middle Eastern History at the University of St Andrews. Since 2007, he has been Professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amr ibn al-Layth</span> Amir of the Saffarid dynasty

Amr ibn al-Layth or Amr-i Laith Saffari was the second ruler of the Saffarid dynasty of Iran from 879 to 901. He was the son of a whitesmith and the younger brother of the dynasty's founder, Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almohad doctrine</span> Ideology of the Almohads

Almohad doctrine or Almohadism was the ideology underpinning the Almohad movement, founded by Ibn Tumart, which created the Almohad Empire during the 12th to 13th centuries. Fundamental to Almohadism was Ibn Tumart's radical interpretation of tawḥid—"unity" or "oneness"—from which the Almohads get their name: al-muwaḥḥidūn (المُوَحِّدون).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbasid invasion of Asia Minor (782)</span> 782 Abbasid invasion of the Byzantine Empire

The Abbasid invasion of Asia Minor in 782 was one of the largest operations launched by the Abbasid Caliphate against the Byzantine Empire. The invasion was launched as a display of Abbasid military might in the aftermath of a series of Byzantine successes. Commanded by the Abbasid heir-apparent, the future Harun al-Rashid, the Abbasid army reached as far as Chrysopolis, across the Bosporus from the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, while secondary forces raided western Asia Minor and defeated the Byzantine forces there. As Harun did not intend to assault Constantinople and lacked ships to do so, he turned back.

Abbasa bint al-Mahdi was a famous Abbasid princess. She was the daughter of Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi, sister of caliph Musa al-Hadi and Harun al-Rashid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbasid dynasty</span> Rulers of Abbasid Caliphate

The Abbasid dynasty or Abbasids were an Arab dynasty that ruled the Abbasid Caliphate between 750 and 1258. They were from the Qurayshi Hashimid clan of Banu Abbas, descended from Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib. The Abbasid Caliphate is divided into three main periods: Early Abbasid era (750–861), Middle Abbasid era (861–936) and Later Abbasid era (936–1258). A cadet branch of the dynasty also ruled as ceremonial rulers for the Mamluk Sultanate as Caliph (1261–1517), until their conquest by the Ottoman Empire.

The Shi'a Century or Shi'ite Century is a historiographical term sometimes used to describe the period between 945 and 1055, when Shi'a Muslim regimes, most notably the Fatimids and the Buyids, held sway over the central lands of the Islamic world.

Muhammad ibn al-Qa'im also known as Muhammad Dhakirat was an Abbasid prince, son of Abbasid caliph Al-Qa'im. He was designated as heir apparent by his father in the mid-eleventh century CE but died before his father.

The Almohad expedition to Dukkala was led by Abd al-Mu'min against tribesmen of Dukkala.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Comerford, Ruth (16 November 2022). "Bennison made chair of CUP's academic committee". The Bookseller .
  2. 1 2 3 University of Cambridge. Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. [Bennison's home page "Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies | General Information | Teaching Staff | Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies Teaching Staff". Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2011.]
  3. Historyextra.com, The official website of BBC History Magazine. The Great Caliphs. Reviewed by Hugh Kennedy. Book Review