Historian · 1332 – 1406
Ibn Khaldun
Little-Known Facts
- He once met the conqueror Timur (Tamerlane) outside the walls of Damascus and negotiated with him.
- He served as a judge and adviser to rulers across North Africa and Muslim Spain.
Myths & Misconceptions
Did Ibn Khaldun really found sociology?
He is widely credited as a forerunner of sociology for analysing social cohesion and change, though the formal discipline emerged in 19th-century Europe.