ABSTRACT
Our author, Shihāb al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Faḍl Allāh, was born into a family that had already attained the highest ranks in the sphere in which both he himself and several other members of the family were to continue to shine, namely the inshāʾ or chancery branch of the Mamluk administration. It appears that the family, which claimed descent from the Caliph ʿUmar I (hence the al-ʿUmarī in their full name), may at some time have had connections with Kerak. However, they came to prominence in Damascus, and although various members of the family went to the centre to serve in Cairo, they retained an important presence in Damascus.
