Yusuf al-Warraq
Muhammad ibn Yūsuf al-Warrāq (Arabic: محمد بن يوسف الورّاق) (* 904 in Guadalajara; † 973 or 974 in Córdoba) (in present day Spain) was an Andalusían historian and geographer.[1]
Muhammad ibn Yūsuf al-Warrāq | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Born | 904 Guadalajara |
| Died | 973 Córdoba |
| Religion | Islam |
| Era | Caliphate of Córdoba |
| Region | Al-Andalus |
| Main interest(s) | Islamic history, geography |
Life
He spent many years in Kairouan and returned to Cordoba during the reign of Caliph al-Hakam II.
Works
Al-Warrāq wrote for al-Hakam II a series of historical and geographical works on North Africa, none of which have survived, although many fragments of his extensive production are preserved in al-Bakri’s, Book of Roads and Kingdoms one century later.[2] From the extracts transcribed in al-Bakri’s work relying on al-Warraq one can conclude, that the latter was the first to mix geography and history. Any geographical subject is accompanied by its historical context and a detailed description.[3]
Notes
- About the geographer Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Warraq
- Corpus of early Arabic sources for West African history By J. F. P. Hopkins, Nehemia Levtzion; p. 62.
- Science and Scholarship in al-Andalus