HITI, AL-:

By: Richard Gottheil, Isaac Broydé

Karaite chronicler; flourished (probably in Egypt) in the first half of the fifteenth century. He was a native of Hit (whence his surname), on the Euphrates, about thirty leagues to the west of Bagdad. He is supposed by Margoliouth to be identical with David ben Sa'adel ben Joseph, the writer of a manuscript (dated 811 A.H. = 1408-09) quoted by Pinsker ("Liḳḳuṭe Ḳadmoniyyot," p. 64). Margoliouth further assumes that Al-Hiti was a son of Joshua ibn Sa'adel ibn al-Hiti, who is cited by Solomon ben Jeroham, the adversary of Saadia. Al-Hiti was the author of a chronicle in which he registered all the Karaite scholars and their works down to Israel al-Maghrabi (). Although the author was misled in some important points, his work furnishes valuable information concerning well-known Karaite scholars, and mentions a greatnumber of previously unknown names. Al-Hiti's chronicle was published by Margoliouth from a genizah fragment ("J. Q. R." ix. 429).

G. I. Br.