al-Baladhuri

Ahmad ibn Yahya ibn Jabir al-Baladhuri (189–279 AH) was one of the most important historians of the classical Islamic period. His Futuh al-Buldan (Conquests of the Lands) is the primary source for the history of the Islamic conquests of Syria, Iraq, Persia, Egypt, and North Africa, and remains essential for historians of the early Islamic period. He also wrote Ansab al-Ashraf (Genealogies of the Nobles), a major biographical dictionary of companions, early Muslims, and notable figures. He served at the Abbasid court and was known for his translations of Persian texts into Arabic.