WRITER

Al-Maʿarri

973 - 1057

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Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri, Arabic: أبو العلاء المعري,(December 973 – May 1057), also known by his Latin name Abulola Moarrensis; was an Arab philosopher, poet, and writer from Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, Syria. Because of his controversially irreligious worldview, he is known as one of the "foremost atheists" of his time. Born in the city of al-Ma'arra (present-day Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, Syria) during the later Abbasid era, he became blind at a young age from smallpox but nonetheless studied in nearby Aleppo, then in Tripoli and Antioch. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Al-Maʿarri has received more than 458,118 page views. His biography is available in 49 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 47 in 2019). Al-Maʿarri is the 434th most popular writer (up from 500th in 2019), the 18th most popular biography from Syria (up from 21st in 2019) and the most popular Syrian Writer.

Al-Maʿarri was a poet and philosopher from Syria who wrote in Arabic. He is most famous for his work "The Epistle of Forgiveness," which was a response to the "Epistle of Forgiveness" by Al-Ghazali.

Memorability Metrics

  • 460k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 72.54

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 49

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 5.27

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.78

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Al-Maʿarri ranks 434 out of 7,302. Before him are Philip Roth, William of Rubruck, Phaedrus, Andrzej Sapkowski, Frank Herbert, and Hector Malot. After him are Abdulrazak Gurnah, Kurt Vonnegut, Louis Aragon, André Maurois, Meera, and Lysias.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 973, Al-Maʿarri ranks 4. Before him are Al-Biruni, Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Murasaki Shikibu.  Among people deceased in 1057, Al-Maʿarri ranks 1. After him are Pope Victor II, Macbeth, King of Scotland, Reginald I, Count of Burgundy, Edward the Exile, Otto III, Duke of Swabia, and Leofric, Earl of Mercia.

Others Born in 973

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Others Deceased in 1057

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In Syria

Among people born in Syria, Al-Maʿarri ranks 18 out of 210. Before him are Ibn Kathir (1301), Pope Anicetus (70), Muawiya II (661), Marwan II (688), Julia Domna (160), and Al-Nawawi (1233). After him are Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (1292), Izz ad-Din al-Qassam (1882), John Climacus (579), Iamblichus (245), Aemilius Papinianus (142), and Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (691).

Others born in Syria

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Among WRITERS In Syria

Among writers born in Syria, Al-Maʿarri ranks 1. After him are Adunis (1930), Heliodorus of Emesa (250), Nizar Qabbani (1923), Andrew of Crete (660), Herodian (170), Khaled al-Asaad (1932), Abu Tammam (788), Usama ibn Munqidh (1095), Jurji Zaydan (1861), Cassius Longinus (213), and Alciphron (200).

Syrian born Writers

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