Identity: Historical novelist, historian, eminent journalist, linguist, and one of the pioneer theorists of Arab Nationalism.

Jurji Zaydan was born on December 14, 1861, in Beirut (Lebanon) into a middle-class Christian (Orthodox) family. Despite adverse circumstances, he continued his education and became a medical student at the 'Syrian Protestant College' (now the American University of Beirut) in 1881. However, following a controversy and protest regarding Darwinism, he left his studies incomplete and moved to Cairo, which was then the center for Arab intellectuals. He is considered a vital pillar of the "Nahda" (Arab Renaissance) movement. In 1892, he launched the world-renowned magazine "Al-Hilal", with the aim of acquainting the common Arab population with their own history. The extent of his versatile personality can be gauged by the fact that he did invaluable work on subjects such as history, philosophy, linguistics, and sociology, and interviewed several world-famous personalities, including Charlie Chaplin and President Roosevelt.

In the literary field, Jurji Zaydan's greatest contribution was the initiation of historical novel writing. He authored a total of 23 historical novels based on various periods of Islamic history. A key feature of his novels was historical accuracy, for which he utilized footnotes and authentic references. His goal was not merely to tell stories but to provide history education in simple and easy language so that learning would not remain confined to the elite. His book, "Tarikh al-Tamaddun al-Islami" (History of Islamic Civilization), presents a critical and secular study of Islamic civilization, which was quite controversial in its time. Such was his scholarly fame that his magazine "Al-Hilal" was read as far as Iran, India, Japan, Australia, and the Americas.

He was a believer in individual hard work and self-confidence and was deeply influenced by Samuel Smiles' book 'Self-Help'. He believed that social reform and education were essential for the progress of the Arab world before seeking political independence. Although he was offered a professorship in Islamic History at Cairo University in 1910, he could not take up the position due to opposition from conservative circles. Nevertheless, his writings left a profound impact on literary giants such as Taha Hussein and Naguib Mahfouz.

Death: He passed away on July 21, 1914, in Cairo (Egypt).