Ibn Khaldun

Abd al-Rahman ibn Khaldun (1332–1406) was a North African historian, jurist, and statesman born in Tunis. He served a number of Maghrebi and Andalusian rulers in administrative and diplomatic roles, and later held judicial office in Cairo. During a period of retirement he composed the Kitab al-Ibar, a universal history, and its introduction, the Muqaddimah (1377), which analyses the rise and fall of dynasties through social solidarity (asabiyya), economic change, and the conditions of civilisation. Many historians regard the Muqaddimah as a foundational work of social science.