ibn khallikān was born in arbil, iraq on september 22, 1211 (11 rabī’ al-thānī, 608), into a respectable family that claimed descent from barmakids. his primary studies took him from arbil, to aleppo and to damascus, before he took up jurisprudence in mosul and then in cairo, where he settled. he gained prominence as a jurist, theologian and grammarian. an early biographer described him as "a pious man, virtuous, and learned; amiable in temper, in conversation serious and instructive. his exterior was highly prepossessing, his countenance handsome and his manners engaging."