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Al-Muqaddasi and Human Geography: An Early Contribution to Social Sciences |
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By: FSTC Research Team, Mon 21 September, 2009 |
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FSTC Research Team Recent scholarly interest in the genesis of social sciences in Islamic culture is a noteworthy shift. Until recent times, the development of these fields was credited exclusively to the modern Western tradition, especially to the 19th century birth of humanities. The ground breaking contribution of Ibn Khaldun was recognized; however, the author of the Muqaddima stands as an isolated genius. In the following article, an attempt is made to broaden the field by highlighting the contributions of several other scholars in laying the foundation of social sciences in Islamic culture. After a short survey on Al-Biruni and Al-Raghib al-Isfahani, the focus of the article is dedicated to the 10th-century Palestinian geographer Al-Muqaddasi, who touched on various subjects of interest to the social sciences in his book Ahsan al-taqasim fi ma'rifat al-aqalim.
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Al-Muqaddasi: The Geographer from Palestine |
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By: FSTC Limited, Fri 09 January, 2009 |
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A notable fact that should be remembered when we talk about the different areas of knowledge in Muslim heritage—and which should be emphasised in these troubled days marked by the tragic situation in the Middle East—, is that until the middle of the 20th century, Palestine was an integral part of the Muslim world. The contributions of Palestinians, men and women, to Islamic civilization are so numerous that it is impossible to count and describe them briefly. The following article is an outline the life and work of the Palestinian geographer Al-Muqaddasi (10th century), an early and most original geographer.
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Ahmad Ibn Fadhlan in Northern Europe: A Survey of his Account of Russian Vikings in the 10th Century |
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By: FSTC Limited, Thu 03 April, 2008 |
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One of the earliest detailed descriptions of Northern Europe is reported in the account written by the Arab Muslim writer and traveler Ahmad Ibn Fadhlan, who was sent in 921 CE as the secretary to an ambassador from the Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir from Baghdad to the Volga Bulgars by the Black Sea and the Caspian. Ibn Fadhlan's travel account was the source of inspiration to many fictional narratives in Western literature and art, such as the the well known novel Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton, filmed as The 13th Warrior directed in 1999 by John McTiernan, and the film Beowulf, released in November 2007.
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Yaqut al-Hamawi |
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By: FSTC Limited , Fri 11 May, 2007 |
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Yâqût al-Hamawî was a Syrian biographer and geographer known for his encyclopaedia writings of the Muslim world. His Mujam al-Buldan, a geographical dictionary that includes much biographical, historical, and cultural data, is a primary source in Arabic scholarship, covering the history, ethnography, and myths related to the places.
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Ibn Battuta |
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By: FSTC Limited, Fri 27 April, 2007 |
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The Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta is known as the greatest traveller of premodern times. He lived in the 8th century H/14th century CE. Leaving his homeland at the age of 21 to make the holy pilgrimage to Mecca, he performed a series of extraordinary journeys that spanned nearly three decades and took him as far away as India and China, but also to the Volga River valley and south to Tanzania. The narrative of his travels is a unique account on Islamic and medieval history that was placed by the historians within the rich, trans-hemispheric cultural setting of the history of the medieval world.
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Scandinavia and Ibn Fadlan |
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By: FSTC Limited, Fri 02 February, 2007 |
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This short article provides brief accounts of Ibn Fadlan's observation on Scandinavia and a people he calls the Rus. His reports have become a great source for successive historians on a range of topics from Scandinavian history to regional religious traditions. The film "The 13th Warrior" was based on Ibn Fadlan's journey.
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Ibn Battuta and the 14th Century Muslim World |
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By: FSTC Limited, Wed 15 February, 2006 |
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Ibn Battuta is regarded by many to be one of the greatest travellers and explorers the world has ever seen. In fact, he was able to travel over 75,000 miles, in twenty years and through some 44 nations (as defines by modern day borders). This short article, describes Ibn Battuta's insightful travels in Egypt and Mali.
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Al-Ramhormuzi and the Wonders of India |
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By: FSTC Limited, Wed 15 February, 2006 |
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Captain Buzurg ibn Shahriyar, a shipmaster from Khuzistan compiled a collection of stories and accounts of his experiences as a sea farer between 900 and 953. As well as stretching one's imagination, Captain Bazurg's ‘The Book of the Wonders of India' also provides insightful details of the world inhabited by Captain Bazurg and his contemporaries.
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Idrisi (1100- 1165 C.E.): A Scholar at the Court of Palermo |
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By: Quoted from S.P.Scott, Sat 20 July, 2002 |
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A native of Malaga, of royal blood, and a lineal descendant of Mohammed, he united to pride of birth and the advantages of fortune all the learning and all the accomplishments to be acquired in an enlightened age.
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The Travels of Ibn Jubair |
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By: FSTC Limited, Sat 01 June, 2002 |
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Born in Valencia, Ibn Jubair (Ibn Jubayr) travelled widely, offering good accounts of the life of Muslims and their surroundings in both Eastern and Western parts.
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