Al-Suyu?i, a Polymath of the Mamluk Period : Brill : 9789004334502 : 9004334505 : 10 Nov 2016 : This volume is a collection of several papers devoted to Jall al-Dn al-Suy (d. 911/1505), presented on the First Conference of the School of Mamlk Studies (held at Ca' Foscari University, Venice, from June 23 to June 25, 2014). It aims to contribute to areassessment of the scholarly profile of the controversial but fascinating polymath and intellectual, and, more generally, to a deeper understanding of the cultural, political and academic life of the last period of the Mamlk empire. Jall al-Dn al-Suy's bibliography ranges from law to theology, and from linguistics to history. It includes medicine and geography. He felt that his mission was to preserve the rich cultural heritage of the past, and knowledge in general, from widespread ignorance and decline. Considered for a long time to be an author devoid of any originality and a "simple" compiler, this polymath was in fact an excellent teache