Hallak was born in
Beirut in 1946. He obtained his PhD in history from the
University of Alexandria in 1981, then went back to Beirut where he taught Islamic and Arab history at the
Lebanese University, and later at
Beirut Arab University. Hallak was noted for being the first person to extract, verify, and publish the records of the Islamic court of Beirut, upon which many of his published books and studies were based. Several of these documents helped in rewriting certain aspects of Beiruti and Lebanese history during the
Ottoman era. He was also the first person to extract, verify, and publish the records and documents of the Beirut Municipality. His collection includes about one hundred thousand unpublished documents. Hallak died on 15 May 2023, at the age of 77. == Works ==