ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY

ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY

al-Idrisi

al-Idrisi

A royal advisor sent on a mission to create a world map, al-Idrisi created one of the most studied works of mapmaking and geography.

Grades

5 - 8

Subjects

Geography, Social Studies, World History

Image

Al-Idrisi Mediterranean Map

Arab geographer al-Idrisi oversaw the creation of more than 70 maps. This al-Idrisi map contains the Mediterranean Sea, northern Africa, Europe, and parts of Asia. It is oriented with the south toward the top.

Photograph by Buyenlarge/Getty Images
Arab geographer al-Idrisi oversaw the creation of more than 70 maps. This al-Idrisi map contains the Mediterranean Sea, northern Africa, Europe, and parts of Asia. It is oriented with the south toward the top.

Centuries before digital navigation apps put global maps at our fingertips, people relied on the work and research of scholars and cartographers (mapmakers) to illustrate the world. One of the most famous cartographers to publish early maps of the world was Arab Muslim geographer, traveler, and scholar Abū Abdallāh Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Abdallāh ibn Idrīs al-sharif al-Idrīsī, or simply al-Idrisi. Al-Idrisi’s book, The Excursion of One Who is Eager to Traverse the Regions of the World, is known as one of the great works of medieval geography and cartography.

Little is known about al-Idrisi’s life. It is likely he was born in Sabtah, Morocco (now known as Ceuta), around 1100 C.E. Al-Idrisi is believed to be a descendant of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. He attended the university in Cordoba, Spain, and traveled throughout North Africa, Europe’s Mediterranean region, and Spain.

In 1145 C.E., al-Idrisi became an advisor to King Roger II of Sicily. Roger II hired al-Idrisi to create an updated world map. Al-Idrisi sent travelers and geographers around the world to gather knowledge for this updated map and others.

The fruit of these efforts, The Excursion of One Who is Eager to Traverse the Regions of the World, was completed in 1154 C.E., shortly before the king’s death. The finished product included a text illustrating the geographic findings and a collection of 70 maps that included the world north of the equator. Al-Idrisi’s work was translated into Latin and studied globally.

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Director
Tyson Brown, National Geographic Society
Author
National Geographic Society
Production Managers
Gina Borgia, National Geographic Society
Jeanna Sullivan, National Geographic Society
Program Specialists
Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society, National Geographic Society
Margot Willis, National Geographic Society
Producer
Clint Parks
Intern
Roza Kavak
other
Last Updated

October 19, 2023

For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource.

Media

If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.

Text

Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.

Interactives

Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.

Related Resources