Abdullah ibn Mohammad ibn Khamis

The Encyclopedia of the Arabian Peninsula across the Pages of Time

Abstract

The article examines the life and intellectual legacy of Saudi historian and literary figure Abdullah ibn Mohammad ibn Khamis (1919–2011) as a model of the encyclopedic scholar in the Arabian Peninsula. Raised in a religious and scholarly environment, Ibn Khamis progressed from traditional kuttabs to Dar al-Tawhid in Ta'if, and later to the Faculty of Shari'a in Makkah. He held several high-ranking academic and administrative positions, including Dean of the Faculty of Shari'a, Head of the Judiciary, and Deputy Minister of Transport, before retiring in 1972 to devote himself entirely to research and writing. His intellectual output spanned literature, history, geography, and travel writing, culminating in major encyclopedic works such as The Dictionary of Al-Yamama and dictionaries of the mountains and sands of the Arabian Peninsula. He also founded Al-Jazirah magazine and the Riyadh literary club. Ibn Khamis left a lasting cultural legacy, becoming an essential reference for the study of Arabian Peninsula heritage. He received numerous local and international awards, and his influence remained present in libraries and cultural forums until his death at the age of 91.