Sheikh Taqīyuddīn Ahmad ibn cAlī ibn cAbdalqādir ibn Muhammad al-Maqrīzī (1364–1442) was an influential Egyptian historian, remarkable above all for his famous “topographical encyclopaedia of medieval Egypt“ entitled Kitāb al-khitat wa´l-āthār fī Misr wa´l-Qāhira wa´n-Nīl wa mā yatacallaqu bihā min al-akhbār which is mostly known under its abbreviated title al-Khitat (Localities). In the context of chapters devouted to the origination and history of the city of Alexandria (al-Iskandarīya) al-Maqrīzī analyses among others his attitude to Iskandar Dhu´l-Qarnain, a mysterious Qur´ānic character mentioned in several sūras. Contrary to prevailing Islamic view(!) al-Maqrīzī emphasizes that this personage definitely can not be identified with historical Alexander the Great.
The article analyses several examples of so-called Orientalism in literature, or strictly speaking in genre of historical belles-lettres. Historical novels from foreign letters were selected to give a subtle view of various artistic approaches to Orient. The majority of chosen titles belongs to the mostly forgotten books that join together their literary qualities with undeniable instructive contribution and that is why they can be recommended as an useful source of inspiration, not only for students interested in the Islamic world and medieval Muslim societies.