Abd al-Rahman ibn Khaldun was born in Tunis into a family with a long scholarly heritage, and moved between the royal courts of the Maghreb, Andalusia, and Egypt, holding numerous judicial and political positions.
Ibn Khaldun is best known for his famous "Muqaddimah" (Introduction), written as a prologue to his major historical work "Al-Ibar." In it, he deeply analyzed the causes behind the rise and fall of states, introducing the concept of "asabiyyah" (social cohesion) as a key social force explaining the rise and decline of civilizations.
