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A Christian Orthodox historian, ‘Abd Allah Ibn Mikha’il Ibn Trad al-Bayruti, he wrote about Beirut in the late 18th early 19th centuries, when it was subject to political, economic and social uncertainties that prevailed in urban centers in Syria. His work is entitled: “A History of the Bishops appointed to the Honorable Episcopate of Beirut”, مختصر تاريخ الأساقفة الذين رقّوا مرتبة رئاسة الكهنوت الجليلة في مدينة بيروت
Little is known about the life of ‘Abd Allah ibn Trad except that he was born in Beirut, as the كنية (agnomen) البيروتي (native of Beirut) clearly indicates. His father Hajj Ne’matallah Mikhail Tard الحج نعمة الله ميخائيل طراد , was a copyist, and his name appears on many religious manuscripts in the archives of the Patriarchate of Antioch for the Greek Orthodox.
His profession no doubt gave `Abd Allah access to historical and theological writings and enriched his education. Two references in the text place ‘Abd Allah in Beirut in 1788 and 1798; and another in Tripoli in 1824. The last entry in the text dates from 1850. We can therefore, assume that he was eyewitness to events that took place in Beirut during the last decade of the 18th century and through the middle of the 19th.
In the introduction to his work, Trad states that his intention was to write a short treatise on the history of the bishops who succeeded to the Episcopate of Beirut starting from 1532 until 1824.