Healing Light

Who is Ibn Khallikan?

In our previous exploration of historical figures brushing against the enigmatic tarot; Mysterious Origins, we referenced Ibn Khallikan (1211-1284), a celebrated Islamic historian regarded as the most eminent writer of biographies in Islamic history. He is also a historical figure in the world of tarot. Today, we delve deeper into this intriguing figure and what his writings might whisper to us about the tarot’s origins.

Ibn Khallikan, a prominent Ayyubid and Mamluk era scholar, is renowned for his biographical dictionary, “Wafayat al-A’yan wa Anba’ Abna’ al-Zaman” (Deaths of Eminent Men and History of Sons of the Time). Within its pages, he documented the customs and practices of the Mamluks, a powerful dynasty ruling Egypt and Syria. The key here is the word “wurq,” which appears in descriptions of Mamluk games.

While the exact nature of these games remains unclear, some scholars draw a fascinating parallel between “wurq” and the tarot’s association with playing cards. Could “wurq” be an early iteration of the word “waraqa,” Arabic for “sheet” or “leaf,” a term that could describe both playing cards and tarot trumps? The possibility is certainly intriguing, even if we can’t say for certain.

Ibn Khallikan’s writings offer a tantalizing glimpse into a world where games using “wurq” flourished. Were these games ancestral cousins of tarot? The answer, for now, resides in the realm of speculation. But one thing is certain: Ibn Khallikan’s work adds another layer to the rich tapestry of the tarot’s history, reminding us that this enigmatic deck’s origins might lie further east than we originally thought.

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