A History of Arab-Islamic Geography (9th-16th Century AD)

Abstract

“Everything you ever wanted to know about the Arab-Islamic contribution togeography (but have had no time to learn up to now),” aptly describes SayyidMaqbool Ahmad‘s A History of Arab-Islamic Geography, which is a descriptionof the Arab-Islamic contribution to geography between the sixth and nineth centuries.To the uninitiated reader, the book may seem like a spider’s web; there isa guiding thread to follow, but that thread is hard to find and easy to lose.Barring language difficulty and the insipid organization of the text, the book ismonumental. It clarifies a number of misconceptions and provides authenticdetails about Arab-Islamic geography.The book is based on over 50 years of painstaking research of Arabicpalimpsests and chronicles and their translations into English and otherEuropean languages. It was the late Professor Hamilton Gibb of St. JohnsCollege (Oxford University), a shining light among Western Orientalists, whoasked Ahmad in 1945 for research on the subject. Following his mentor, Ahmadhas done a remarkable job of distilling much of the chaotic and contentious mattersrelating to Arab-Islamic geography. Never before has anyone attempted toprovide detailed “basic data” on Arab-Islamic geography. Contrary to whatmany Western Orientalists believe, the Arabs-in addition to being inheritorsand preservers of Greek, Indian, and Persian knowledge-made significant contributionsto geography. It was partly the contribution of Nasir al-Din Tusi(astronomy), al-Battani (astronomy), Mohammed Musa al-Khwarizmi (mathematics),Ibn al-Haytham (optics), Abul-Rayhan al-Biruni (astronomy, physics),Ibn Sina (medicine), Al-Jazari (mechanics), Al-Sharif al-Idrisi (geography), Al-Masudi (geography), Ibn al-Nafis (blood circulation), Ibn Majid (magnetic compass),and others to science and technology.that motivated the IndustrialRevolution of Europe.The book is organized into two parts and twenty-two chapters to present thevast literature by subject and chronological order. Part I of the book has threesections and nine chapters, which discuss the origins of scientific geography,astronomical and philosophical literature, reports of the explorers and Arabembassies, and regional discussions. These chapters are conclusive that Arab-Islamic scientific geography began with Al-Ma’mun (813-833 AD), who establishedthe first academy, known as Bayt al-Hikmu (the House of Wisdom). As aresult, in Baghdad after the middle of the ninth century, general and descriptivegeographical works began appearing. Included in this section are also chapterson the Iraqi and Balkhi school of geography. Chapters 10 through 15 discuss theimportant regional, philosophical, and astronomical geography works whichappeared in Baghdad. lbn Khurdadbih was the fit writer on the subject andhence can be called the father of Arab-Islamic geography. His Kirub ul-Musalikwu ul-Mumulik (Book of Roads and Kingdoms) is a classic.Two appendices, one concerning the Waqwaq Islands and the other concerningModification of Ptolemy’s Geography by Al-Idrisi, are the most revealingparts of the book because the location of the Waqwaq Islands and Al-Idrisi’smodification of Ptolemy’s map have long baffled Orientalists. Waqwaq Islands(ul-Juzur al-Wuqwuq) were fit mentioned in Ibn Khurdashbih’s Kitab ul-Musulik wu a1 -Mamulik. Appendix 2, Al-Idris’s modification of Ptolemy’s map, ...