Relief for the nation by dispelling the distress

Then famine struck the Ayyubid state... its cause being the Nile's failure to rise and its lower-than-usual flow... so people flocked from the villages to Cairo due to hunger. Spring arrived, bringing with it a wind that was followed by plague and death. Food became so scarce that people resorted to eating their own children out of hunger. Fathers would eat their sons, roasted or cooked, and mothers would eat their own children... Then the situation worsened until many people became accustomed to eating human flesh, and they were rarely prevented from doing so due to the lack of all grains, vegetables, and anything else the earth produced. This is an enjoyable and important book in which al-Maqrizi, one of Egypt's most important historians, discusses the history of famines that afflicted Egypt from ancient times until the beginning of the ninth century AH (fifteenth century CE), the time of writing. In subsequent chapters, he analyzes the causes of these famines and ways to treat them in a clear and accessible style. "The Small Heritage Library" is a series that includes a number of essential and important heritage books, small in size, written in simple language, and of interest to the general reader. Its covers and interior design are attractive, combining heritage and contemporary design in an elegant and simple way. The books are small enough to easily fit in a handbag or pocket.