This book is a translation of the third part of the Arab historian Ibn Khaldun's masterpiece, The Muqaddimah, which is considered one of the most important works of historical scholarship in the Islamic world. The book is a detailed analysis of the rise and fall of civilizations, with a particular focus on the factors that contribute to the decline of states and societies. The introduction by Etienne Quatremère provides valuable historical context for Ibn Khaldun's work and makes it more accessible to a non-Arabic-speaking audience.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

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