Hadith Dhulqarnayn

The Hadīth Dhī ʾl-Qarnayn (or Hadith Dhulqarnayn), also known as the Leyenda de Alejandro, is an anonymous Hispano-Arabic legend of Alexander the Great (whom it identifies as Dhu al-Qarnayn, a figure known from the eighteenth chapter of the Quran). It dates to the 15th century.[1]

As with other Arabic Alexander legends in the tradition of the Alexander Romance literature, the story describes Alexander's journeys across the world (such as an encounter with the king of China), his relationship with the mystical prophet Khidr, and the piety of the main character, Alexander.[2]

It is closely related to the Sīrat al-Iskandar, including in how both texts interpolate from the Syriac Alexander Legend,[3] such as in how it describes the construction of the Gates of Alexander designed to keep out and confine Gog and Magog.[4] The text identifies Gog and Magog with the Khazars, a semi-nomadic Turkic ethnic group.[5]

Manuscripts and editions

The Hadith Dhulqarnayn is known from one manuscript, though that manuscript is missing the first five folios; as such, the extant version begins mid-sentence.[2] An Arabic edition with a translation into Spanish was published in 1929 by E. García Gómez.[6]

See also

• Horns of Alexander
• Iskandarnameh
• Qissat al-Iskandar

References

1. Casari, Mario (2023). "The Alexander Legend in Persian Literature". In Ashtiany, Mohsen (ed.). Persian narrative poetry in the classical era, 800-1500: romantic and didactic genres. A history of Persian literature / founding editor - Ehsan Yarshater. London New York Oxford New Delhi Sydney: I.B. Tauris. p. 500. ISBN 978-1-78673-664-2.
2. Zuwiyya, Zachary David (2011). "The Alexander Romance in the Arabic Tradition". In Zuwiyya, David (ed.). A companion to Alexander literature in the Middle Ages. Brill's companions to the Christian tradition. Leiden Boston: Brill. pp. 79–82. ISBN 978-90-04-18345-2.
3. Gaullier-Bougassas, Catherine; Doufikar-Aerts, Faustina (2022). "Alexander the Great in Medieval Literature". Literature: A World History, Volumes 1-4. Wiley. pp. 534–535.
4. Donzel, Emeri Johannes van; Schmidt, Andrea Barbara; Ott, Claudia (2009). Gog and Magog in early syriac and islamic sources: Sallam's quest for Alexander's wall. Brill's Inner Asian Library. Leiden: Brill. pp. 115–116. ISBN 978-90-04-17416-0.
5. Alemany, Agusti (2023). "Beyond the Wall: Eurasian Steppe Nomads in the Gog and Magog Motif". In Tamer, Georges; Mein, Andrew; Greisiger, Lutz (eds.). Gog and Magog: contributions toward a world history of an apocalyptic motif. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - tension, transmission, transformation. Berlin Boston: De Gruyter. pp. 45–46. ISBN 9783110720150.
6. Gomez, E. Marcia (1929). Un texto árabe occidental de la Leyenda de Alejandro. Madrid: Instituto de Valencia de Don Juan.