Cartography in the Islamic Golden Age
Words by aimée lister
The study of geography and cartography flourished during the Islamic Golden Age, which was approximately between the eighth and 13th centuries. Accounts show that many large maps were produced specifically for the delight and gratification of Muslim rulers, to enhance the glory of their reign.
The interaction of Islamic culture with the European societies to their West laid the foundations for how Muslim scholars and travelers would approach mapmaking. Calligraphic traditions as well as the use of paints and inks informed mapmaking techniques, creating a uniquely Islamic aesthetic. Unlike today's maps, there was no codified color system, though in the 10th Century al-Muqaddasi did "prescribe red for routes, yellow for sand, green for sea, blue for rivers, and brown for mountains," and copies that remain today of al-Idrisi's Nuzhat al- mushtaq do "reflect a general compliance with these standards but at the same time show some originality in color selection."
The Language of Maps
It's interesting to note that premodern languages such as Arabic, Persian and Turkish didn't have a single word to describe a map. Instead, there was a collection of terms: surah (form or figure from the root s w r), rasm or tarsim (drawing or graph from the root r s m), and naqsh or naqshah (painting from the root n q sh). The modern word خريطة derives from the Catalan Carta through the Greek Kharti. To measure distances, cartographers used a range of vocabulary including: marjalah and manzil which both refer to "a day's journey."
Al-Idrisi's Mediterranean Map portrays the Mediterranean Sea, northern Africa, Europe, and parts of Asia. It is oriented with the south toward the top
Al-Idrisi's Mediterranean Map
King Roger II of Sicily commissioned Arab geographer al-Idrisi to create a world atlas in 1145 CE. Al-Idrisi dispatched travelers and geographers to tour the world and gather information for what would eventually become Nuzhat al-mushtāq fī ikhtirāq al-āfāq or The Excursion of One Who is Eager to Traverse the Regions of the World (in 1154). Ptolemy's Geography was a major influence on al-Idrisi, who departed from the "Atlas of Islam" tradition which preceded him. The finished atlas contains a collection of 70 maps and accompanying texts.
Al Idrisi's world map centers around Baghdad and the Arabian peninsula, and shows the Nile flowing in an opposite direction toward the center
Map of the Mediterranean Sea
The Book of Curiosities of the Sciences and Marvels for the Eyes (Kitāb Gharā’ib al-funūn wa-mulaḥ al-ʿuyūn) contains maps of the world and celestial diagrams of the universe and sky. It dates from the year 1200. You can look through the digital manuscript here.
The map above is the only known horizontal world map from before the Renaissance. It is thought to have been drawn up by an Egyptian scholar for Kitab Ghara'ib "al funun wa-mulah al uyun" or Book of Curiosities of the Sciences and Marvels for the Eyes. It is oriented with the south at the top. The Nile's source is visible at the top center.
Via Karen C Pinto / Suleymaniye Library
This map is a 15th/16th century copy of Ibn Hawqal's 10th century map of the Mediterranean. The copyist has added the Canary Islands (on the far right) which did not appear in earlier versions (source: Aramco World).
Medieval Islamic Maps: An Exploration
Karen C. Pinto
"Hundreds of exceptional cartographic images are scattered throughout medieval and early modern Arabic, Persian, and Turkish manuscript collections. The plethora of copies created around the Islamic world over the course of eight centuries testifies to the enduring importance of these medieval visions for the Muslim cartographic imagination. With this book, historian Karen C Pinto brings us the first in-depth exploration of medieval Islamic cartography from the mid-10th to the 19th century."
