The Jewish Calendar and Calendation According to al-Maqrīzī in <em>al-Khiṭaṭ</em>

Abstract

Al-Maqrīzī devotes several chapters toward the end of his al-Khiṭaṭ to Jewish history and religion, including one concerning the Jewish calendar. In this chapter he provides a detailed month-by-month overview of the Jewish year, specifying the length of each month, the festivals that fall during it, the names of the festivals and the months, and major practices and logic of the observances, Rabbinic adjustments of the positioning of several festivals during the week, various lunisolar reconciliations, and so on. His descriptions are instructive of his knowledge—accurate or otherwise—of Rabbanite and Karaite teachings and of his compilation technique. They also shed light on the traditions of the Jews in Egypt in the Mamluk period (1250–1517 ce). In the discussion that follows, I investigate his account of the Jewish calendar, determine whether it corresponds to the Rabbinic or the Karaite approach and to what extent, and suggest sources of information that may underlie it.