Historian Prof ABM Hossain no more

Internationally acclaimed historian Prof Abul Bashar Mosarraf Hossain of Rajshahi University passed away at Bangladesh Specialised Hospital in Dhaka yesterday.

He breathed his last at 2am, said Prof Fazlul Haque, dean of Faculty of Arts at RU. He was 86.

He was the first professor emeritus of RU, where he served for 60 years, said Prof Haque.

Prof ABM Hossain was an expert on the Middle Eastern history and authored at least 11 books including Arab Sthapottya, Muslim Shilpakolar Etihas and Moddhyaprachher Eithas, he said.

Norwegian parliament selected him as a member of the Nobel Peace Prize awarding body of The Norwegian Nobel Committee in 1977, said Prof Haque citing his profile.

Prof Hossain was also a member of the committee that drafted the Rajshahi University Act, 1973.

Born on September 1 in 1934 in Cumilla's Debidwar, ABM Hossain studied at Debiddar High School, Cumilla Victoria College and Dhaka University.

He went to London University on a scholarship and obtained honours and PhD in History and Islamic Archaeology in 1958 and 1960. In 1960, he joined Rajshahi University as a teacher, and became a professor in 12 years.

He left behind two sons, a daughter and a host of relatives and friends. Prof Hossain was buried at the Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard in the capital following a namaz-e-janaza held near his Dhaka residence in Kalabagan.