# Reuven Amitai

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Israeli-American historian and writer (born 1955)

Reuven Amitai ראובן עמיתי Born (1955-08-23) August 23, 1955 (age 70) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Alma mater University of Pennsylvania Known for Pre-modern Islamic studies

**Reuven Amitai** ([Hebrew](/source/Hebrew_language): ראובן עמיתי; born August 23, 1955), also **Reuven Amitai-Preiss**, is an [Israeli-American](/source/Israeli-American) historian and writer, specializing in pre-modern [Islamic](/source/Islamic) civilization, especially Syria and Palestine during the time of the [Mamluk Empire](/source/Mamluk_Empire).[1] In his 20s he moved to Israel, and became history professor at the [Hebrew University of Jerusalem](/source/Hebrew_University_of_Jerusalem). As of 2012 he is the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the Hebrew University.[2][3]

## Biography

Amitai was born in Philadelphia in 1955, and studied at the [University of Pennsylvania](/source/University_of_Pennsylvania). In 1976 he made the *[aliyah](/source/Aliyah)* to Israel, intending to live and work on a [kibbutz](/source/Kibbutz) while also pursuing [Middle Eastern Studies](/source/Middle_Eastern_Studies). He worked at the kibbutz for six years as a [welder](/source/Welder), and then decided to return to academic studies. He enrolled at the [Hebrew University of Jerusalem](/source/Hebrew_University_of_Jerusalem), where he eventually received a Masters and Doctorate, focusing on the history of Islam, especially during the time of the Crusades, the [Mamluks](/source/Mamluk), and the [Mongol Empire](/source/Mongol_Empire), a time period spanning the 11th to 16th centuries. He spent a year as a visiting fellow at [Princeton University](/source/Princeton_University) from 1990–91, and [St. Antony's College](/source/St._Antony's_College) in Oxford from 1996–97. Returning to the Hebrew University, he became a teacher, then [Chairman](/source/Chairman) of the Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies from 1997–2001, and director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies twice, in 2001–04 and 2008–10.[4] Around 2005, he became director of the [Nehemia Levtzion](/source/Nehemia_Levtzion) Center for Islamic Studies, whose goal was to encourage research public activity related to Islamic studies.[2] From 2010 to 2014, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

## Selected publications

### Books

- Amitai-Preiss, Reuven (1995). [*Mongols and Mamluks: The Mamluk-Îlkhânid War, 1260–1281*](https://archive.org/details/mongolsmamluksma0000amit). Cambridge, UK; New York, USA: [Cambridge University Press](/source/Cambridge_University_Press). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-521-46226-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-521-46226-6).

### Articles

- "The Conversion of Tegüder Ilkhan to Islam". *[Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam](/source/Jerusalem_Studies_in_Arabic_and_Islam)* (XXV): 15–43. 2001.

- "In the Aftermath of 'Ayn Jâlût: The Beginnings of the Malmûk-Îlkhânid Cold War". *Al-Masaq* (10): 1–21. 1990.

- Amitai-Preiss, Reuven (1992). "Mamluk Perceptions of the Mongol-Frankish Rapprochement". *[Mediterranean Historical Review](/source/Mediterranean_Historical_Review)*. **7**: 50–65. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1080/09518969208569631](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F09518969208569631).

- "A Fourteenth-Century Mamluk Inscription from Rural Palestine". *[Israel Exploration Journal](/source/Israel_Exploration_Journal)* (44): 234–242. 1994.

- Theresa Fitzherbert & Julian Raby, ed. (1996). "New material from the Mamluk sources for the biography of Rashid al-Din". *The Court of the Il-khans, 1290-1340* (Conference paper). Oxford & New York: [Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press). pp. 23–37.

- Amitai-Preiss, Reuven (1996). "Ghazan, Islam, and Mongol tradition: a View from the Mamluk Sultanate". *[Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies](/source/Bulletin_of_the_School_of_Oriental_and_African_Studies)*. **59**: 1–10. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1017/s0041977x00028524](https://doi.org/10.1017%2Fs0041977x00028524).

- "A Note on a "Mamlûk" Drum from Bethsaida". *Israel Exploration Journal* (47): 113–116. 1997.

- Amitai, Reuven (1987). "Mongol Raids into Palestine (A.D. 1260 and 1300)". *[Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society](/source/Journal_of_the_Royal_Asiatic_Society)* (2). Cambridge, UK; New York, USA: Cambridge University Press: 236–255. [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [25212151](https://www.jstor.org/stable/25212151).

- Gervers, Michael; Powell, James M., eds. (2001). ["Edward of England and Abagha Ilkhan: A reexamination of a failed attempt at Mongol-Frankish Cooperation"](https://books.google.com/books?id=n9dEpOsfVdIC&pg=PA75). *Tolerance and Intolerance: Social Conflict in the Age of the Crusades*. Syracuse, New York, USA: [Syracuse University Press](/source/Syracuse_University_Press). pp. 75–82. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8156-2869-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8156-2869-9).

- Nicola Di Cosmo, ed. (2002). "Whither the Ilkhanid Army? Ghazan's First Campaign into Syria (1299–1300)". *Warfare in Inner Asian History (500-1800)*. Leiden-Boston-Köln: [Brill](/source/Brill_Publishers).

- "'Ayn Jalût Revisited". *Tarih* (2): 119–150. 1992.

- "An Exchange of Letters in Arabic between Abaya Îlkhân and Sultan Baybars (A.H. 667/A.D. 1268-69)". *[Central Asiatic Journal](/source/Central_Asiatic_Journal)* (38/1): 11–33. 1994.

- [Morgan, David](/source/David_O._Morgan); Amitai-Preiss, Reuven, eds. (1999). ["Mongol Imperial Ideology and the Îlkhânid War against the Mamlûks"](https://books.google.com/books?id=OqflvIsBT_4C&q=Krawulsky). *The Mongol Empire and its Legacy*. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-90-04-11048-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-90-04-11048-9).

- Amalia Levanoni; Michael Winter, eds. (2004). "The Mongol Occupation of Damascus in 1300: A Study of Mamluk Loyalties". [*The Mamluks in Egyptian and Syrian Politics and Society*](https://archive.org/details/mamluksegyptians00wint_184). Leiden-Köln-Boston: Brill. pp. [21](https://archive.org/details/mamluksegyptians00wint_184/page/n43)–39.

- John Prior, ed. (2006). "The Logistics of the Mongol-Mamlûk War, with Special Reference to the Battle of Wâdî'l-Khaznadâr, 1299 C.E.". *Logistics of Warfare in the Age of Crusades* (Proceedings of a Workshop Held at the Center for Medieval Studies, University of Sydney, 30 Sept.-4 Oct. 2002). Ashgate: [Ashgate Publishing Company](/source/Ashgate_Publishing_Company). pp. 25–42.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Reuven Amitai"](http://www.kahnplus.com/ftp/NEW/authors/amitai_reuven.htm) at Kahnplus.com

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-focus_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-focus_2-1) ["Prof. Amitai takes pride in graduate program"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131008043108/http://overseas.huji.ac.il/_Uploads/dbsAttachedFiles/focus_32.pdf) (PDF). *Focus 32: Newsletter of the Rothberg International School*. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem: 7. Spring 2006. Archived from [the original](http://overseas.huji.ac.il/_Uploads/dbsAttachedFiles/focus_32.pdf) (PDF) on 2013-10-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Publications](http://www.getcited.org/mbrx/PT/99/MBR/10095125) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120303234355/http://www.getcited.org/mbrx/PT/99/MBR/10095125) 2012-03-03 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["The Formation of Muslim Society in Palestine - Eretz Israel"](http://islamization.huji.ac.il/members_amitai.html).

## External links

- [Personal site of Prof. Reuven Amitai](http://reuvenamitai.huji.ac.il/)

- [List of published works by Reuven Amitai](http://reuvenamitai.huji.ac.il/publications)

- [A speech by Reuven Amitai in Estoril Conferences of 2013](http://reuvenamitai.huji.ac.il/book/speeches)

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