Al-Idrisi (c. 1100–1165/66) was a Muslim geographer and mapmaker from Ceuta, on the North African shore of the Strait of Gibraltar. He is best remembered as the author of the Tabula Rogeriana, the “Book of Roger”, one of the greatest works of medieval geography. Working at the court of King Roger II of Sicily in the 12th century, he combined older Greek and Arabic geography with the reports of travellers to describe the known world. For this he is often called the greatest geographer of the medieval period.
Quick facts
| Full name | Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Idris al-Hammudi al-Hasani al-Idrisi (also called al-Sharif al-Idrisi) |
| Born | 1100 (493 AH), Sabtah (Ceuta), then in North Africa |
| Died | 1165 or 1166, in Sicily or Ceuta (sources disagree) |
| Fields | Geography, cartography, travel writing |
| Most famous work(s) | Nuzhat al-mushtaq fi ikhtiraq al-afaq (the Book of Roger / Tabula Rogeriana); a later work on geography for Roger’s successor |
| Known for | A 70-section world map and detailed geographical text made in Palermo, completed in 1154 |
Early life and education
Britannica notes that few facts are known about al-Idrisi’s life, so every biography has some gaps. What is generally agreed is that he was born in Sabtah (now Ceuta), where his Hammudi ancestors had fled after the fall of Malaga in 1057. The family traced its line back to the Idrisid rulers, which is why he carries the title al-Sharif, meaning “the noble”. A study in the University of Chicago’s History of Cartography explains that he belonged to the house of the Alawi Idrisids, hence the title.
He was educated in Cordoba, then a major centre of learning in Muslim Spain, which is why he is sometimes called “al-Qurtubi”. According to the same Chicago study, he began travelling when he was barely sixteen, with a visit to Asia Minor. The Library of Congress adds that he travelled extensively around the Mediterranean, Anatolia, the northwestern coast of Iberia, and possibly southern England. The word “possibly” matters: historians are not certain about every journey.
The invitation to Palermo
Roger II ruled Sicily, an island that had been under Muslim rule for generations before the Normans took it. His court in Palermo was a meeting place of Arabic, Greek and Latin learning. Britannica states that about 1145 al-Idrisi entered the service of Roger II in Sicily. Other writers give 1138 for the invitation or for the start of the project, so the exact year when he arrived is a point on which sources differ.
Whatever the exact date, the arrangement was clear. Roger wanted a new, reliable description of the world, and al-Idrisi had the training, the travel experience and the access to Arabic and Greek books to produce it. Britannica says all his great achievements were linked to the Norman court at Palermo.
The Book of Roger (Tabula Rogeriana)
His masterpiece is known in Arabic as Nuzhat al-mushtaq fi ikhtiraq al-afaq. Its title is translated in different ways, for example “The Pleasure Excursion of One Who Is Eager to Traverse the Regions of the World”. It is also called Kitab Rujar, “the Book of Roger”, and in Latin the Tabula Rogeriana.
How did he gather his information? Britannica says he combined material from Arabic and Greek geographic works with firsthand observation and eyewitness reports. The Library of Congress describes the structure: following the Ptolemaic system, he divided the Northern Hemisphere into seven climates of equal width, each divided by lines of longitude into ten equal sections, giving 70 sectional maps. Put together, these sections form a rectangular map of the world as it was known then.
Each map was followed by written commentary describing towns, regions, seas, mountains and rivers. The work covers Europe, Asia and northern Africa. One unusual feature that often surprises readers: the map is oriented with north at the bottom, so northern Africa appears at the top. This was common in medieval Islamic maps and is not a mistake.
The work took many years. The Library of Congress says it took al-Idrisi 15 years and was completed shortly before Roger’s death in 1154. Some other sources speak of 18 years, depending on when they count the start. The safe summary is that the project took roughly one-and-a-half to two decades and was finished in 1154.
The silver planisphere
Besides the book, al-Idrisi is credited with a large world map made of silver. A modern reference summary says he constructed a silver planisphere covered with a map of the world while in Sicily. The book was meant to explain it: the text was intended to accompany the silver planisphere.
The details of this disc are not settled. Sources give different weights and sizes, and the original disc itself is not known to survive. It is safest to say that it was a very large, costly object, described in al-Idrisi’s own preface, and that only the book and its maps reached later generations.
Later works and the “Little Idrisi”
Al-Idrisi did not stop writing after 1154. Britannica says that while in Sicily he completed three major geographic works. One later work was a shorter geography, usually linked with Roger’s successor. Reference works name it as a second major text, Rawd al-Unas wa Nuzhat al-Nafs, with a title often translated as “Pleasure of men and delight of souls”. A shorter version of the main book also survives and, according to modern summaries, helps scholars understand the original longer text.
Legacy
Al-Idrisi’s influence is easiest to see in the way his work travelled. Several points are well supported:
- Printed in Europe: the Medici press in Rome published an abridgment of the work in 1592, and a Latin translation appeared as Geographia Nubiensis.
- Manuscripts survive: the Library of Congress notes that the oldest known copy was produced around 1325 and is preserved in the National Library of France as MS Arabe 2221. Other catalogues date the earliest copy to about 1300, so scholars differ slightly.
- A long-lasting reference: several summaries say his work stayed the most accurate world map for about three centuries. This is a popular claim repeated in many sources, so treat it as a general judgement and not a measured fact.
- A place named after him: the Al-Idrisi Montes is a geographical feature named after him, according to Wikipedia, which does not say where.
Some websites claim that his maps guided Columbus or Vasco da Gama. We could not confirm this from a scholarly source, so we do not repeat it as fact.
Frequently asked questions
Who was al-Idrisi?
He was a Muslim geographer born in Ceuta in 1100. Britannica describes him as an Arab geographer who advised Roger II, the Norman King of Sicily.
What is the Tabula Rogeriana?
It is al-Idrisi’s world map and geography, finished in 1154 for Roger II. It consists of 70 sectional maps with written descriptions and is also called the Book of Roger.
Why is the map upside down?
It is not upside down. Al-Idrisi placed south at the top, following a common medieval Islamic style. Modern reproductions are often turned around so that north is at the top.
Read more: Explore the full series at Great Muslim Scientists. You may also enjoy Al-Biruni: The Scholar Who Measured the Earth and Al-Battani (Albategnius): The Astronomer of Raqqa Who Corrected Ptolemy.
Sources: Library of Congress: The Excursion of the One Who Yearns to Penetrate the Horizons; S. Maqbul Ahmad, “Cartography of al-Sharif al-Idrisi”, University of Chicago Press, History of Cartography; Encyclopaedia Britannica: Muhammad al-Idrisi.
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