Muhammad al-Idrisi

Muhammad al-Idrisi was a 12th-century Arab geographer and cartographer whose world map and geographic text, the Tabula Rogeriana, were completed in 1154.

Tabula Rogeriana: A world map and geographic text completed by Muhammad al-Idrisi in 1154 for Roger II of Sicily. This is the name commonly given to al-Idrisi’s landmark map and accompanying geographical work.
Rogerian Tabula: The rectangular world map associated with al-Idrisi, divided into seventy sections across seven climate bands. Its grid organized the geographic information gathered for the Tabula Rogeriana.
Norman Kingdom of Sicily: A medieval kingdom centered on Sicily, ruled by Norman dynasties from 1130 to 1194. Its court provided the political setting and resources for al-Idrisi’s project.
Nuzhat al-mushtaq: Al-Idrisi’s Arabic geographic text, completed alongside his map for Roger II in 1154. This extensive written account accompanied the map and described regions in detail.
Roger II of Sicily: The Norman king of Sicily who ruled from 1130 to 1154. Roger II commissioned al-Idrisi’s geographical project at his court.
Climate (geography): The long-term pattern of atmospheric conditions in a region. Al-Idrisi arranged the known world in bands based on classical climatic zones.
Palermo: A city in Sicily that served as the capital of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily. Al-Idrisi worked in Palermo, a hub connecting Mediterranean cultures and scholarship.
Ceuta: A port city on the North African coast across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain. Al-Idrisi’s birthplace appears within the wider geography his work described.
Medieval Islamic geography: The study and description of the world by scholars writing in Islamic societies during the Middle Ages. Al-Idrisi drew on and extended a long tradition of geographic scholarship.
Latitude: The angular distance of a place north or south of the equator. Latitude helped structure the map’s north-to-south climate divisions.

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Al-IdrisiBroader topic: The name identifies the scholar behind the map and geographical compendium.