Methods of Describing of the Mediterranean Coast of Spain in the Geographical Work of Abu al-Fida’

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the information of the Syrian scientist of the first third of the 14th century Abu ’l-Fida about the port cities of Spain, the Mediterranean coast of which is characterized in the world geography of Abu ’l-Fida in the most detail in comparison with other European Mediterranean countries. The comparatively detailed description of the Spanish coast was influenced not only by the fact that Spain was part of the Muslim world and therefore aroused more interest among the Islamic author and potential readers of his work, but also by the geographical position of Spain, whose Mediterranean cities, due to their proximity to the Strait of Gibraltar, were closely connected with another region of the Islamic world — the Maghreb. From Lombardy to Algeciras, Abu ’l-Fida names a total of 18 place names (counting the islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Tarif) and gives geographical coordinates for all objects, except for the city of Almuñécar and the island of Tarif. The main source of coordinate data for Abu ’l -Fida was the geographical work of the Spanish-Arab scientist of the 13th century Ibn Sa‛id al-Maghribi: references to this author are given when specifying the coordinates of 14 cities and islands.