What was it like to travel the world over a thousand years ago? For one man, it was a journey filled with adventure, hardship, and discovery. Al-Maqdisi, a pioneering geographer of the tenth century, lived a life that saw him traverse the deserts of Arabia, sail the Mediterranean, and even encounter the pickpockets of distant lands. His experiences shaped not only his understanding of the world but also contributed to a work that would redefine geography for generations to come.
Early Life and Travels
Shams al-Dīn al-Maqdisī was born in Jerusalem around the year 946 to a middle-class family. He saw himself as a Palestinian but early on found an interest in learning about the wider world. By his early twenties, he made a pilgrimage to Mecca, which would be the start of many travels across the Middle East and northern Africa. By the year 985, he published his most important work, The Best Divisions in the Knowledge of the Regions (Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Marifat al-Aqalim). Historians have called him the first person to truly see geography as a ‘science’ and praised him for writing in an entertaining yet insightful way.
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The Geographer’s Insight
Al-Maqdisi explained that while he consulted books and reliable people, much of what he learned came from his own experiences. He adds, “in this way I found a correct knowledge of what I was seeking in this subject.” As he traveled through various countries and lands, he took on many different jobs, and so was called teacher, merchant, preacher, courier, jurist, messenger, bookbinder, and more.
Bibliothèque nationale de France MS Arabe 5847 fol. 51
His travels gave him a rare perspective on the places he visited, allowing him to write a geography that was based on firsthand knowledge rather than hearsay. In an era where much of the world’s knowledge came from legend, al-Maqdisi’s dedication to seeing the world for himself set him apart.
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A Life of Adventure and Hardship
Al-Maqdisi’s life was as varied as the lands he visited. In his own words:
I studied law and letters, practiced asceticism and piety, taught theology and letters, preached on the pulpits, called to prayer on the minarets, led the prayers in mosques, preached in the congregational mosques, frequented the schools. I said the prayers in convocation, spoke in the councils. I have eaten their porridge with mystics; supped broth with the monks, and pudding with the sailors. I have been ejected from mosques at night, have traveled in the solitudes, gone astray in the deserts. At times I have been scrupulously pious; at times I have openly eaten forbidden food. I have become acquainted with the devout men on Mount Lebanon, and also been on intimate terms with governors. I have owned slaves, but have had to carry baskets on my own head.
A number of times I was close to drowning; our caravans were waylaid on the highway. I have served the judges and the great ones, have spoken with rulers and ministers. I have accompanied the licentious on the way, sold goods in the markets, been confined in jail, been accused as a spy. I have witnessed war with the Romaneans (Byzantines) in battleships, and the ringing of church bells at night. I have been a bookbinder to earn money, have bought water at a high price. I have ridden in sedans and on horseback, have walked in the sandstorms and snows. I have been in the courtyards of the kings, standing among the nobles. I have lived among the ignorant in the workshops of weavers. What glory and honor I have been given! Yet my death has been plotted more than once. I have performed the Pilgrimage, and visited Medina; have been on forays and in frontier posts. I have drunk sawiq (a potage of grains) from the public fountains in Mecca, eaten bread and chickpeas in a monastery.
In this vivid recounting, al-Maqdisi gives us a window into a life that balanced faith, adventure, and the very real dangers of medieval travel. His encounters ranged from the spiritual to the mundane, from the heights of courtly life to the depths of imprisonment. It was this wealth of experience that allowed him to write with such authority and insight.
The Legacy of al-Maqdisi
Al-Maqdisi reflects on how these experiences shaped his work, ranging from gifts given by royalty to having “had good experience of pickpockets.” In the end, he believed it all helped him compile his book:
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Experiences of this kind are many, but I have mentioned such a number of them that the reader of our book may know that we did not compile it haphazardly, nor arrange it in any random fashion. The reader will thus be able to distinguish between it and the others; for, after all, what a difference there is between one who has undergone all these experiences, and one who has compiled his book in perfect ease, basing it on the reports of others.
Al-Maqdisi’s work didn’t just map the world; it opened doors for how we understand the diversity of cultures and regions. His journeys and hardships contributed to a legacy that still inspires geographers today. His book remains a timeless testament to the power of curiosity and firsthand knowledge.
The regions of Islam in the tenth century, based on Al-Maqdisi’s work. Image by Ro4444 / Wikimedia Commons
The Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions: Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Marifat al-Aqalim, has been translated by Basil Anthony Collins. You can buy it on Amazon.com.
What was it like to travel the world over a thousand years ago? For one man, it was a journey filled with adventure, hardship, and discovery. Al-Maqdisi, a pioneering geographer of the tenth century, lived a life that saw him traverse the deserts of Arabia, sail the Mediterranean, and even encounter the pickpockets of distant lands. His experiences shaped not only his understanding of the world but also contributed to a work that would redefine geography for generations to come.
Early Life and Travels
Shams al-Dīn al-Maqdisī was born in Jerusalem around the year 946 to a middle-class family. He saw himself as a Palestinian but early on found an interest in learning about the wider world. By his early twenties, he made a pilgrimage to Mecca, which would be the start of many travels across the Middle East and northern Africa. By the year 985, he published his most important work, The Best Divisions in the Knowledge of the Regions (Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Marifat al-Aqalim). Historians have called him the first person to truly see geography as a ‘science’ and praised him for writing in an entertaining yet insightful way.
The Geographer’s Insight
Al-Maqdisi explained that while he consulted books and reliable people, much of what he learned came from his own experiences. He adds, “in this way I found a correct knowledge of what I was seeking in this subject.” As he traveled through various countries and lands, he took on many different jobs, and so was called teacher, merchant, preacher, courier, jurist, messenger, bookbinder, and more.
His travels gave him a rare perspective on the places he visited, allowing him to write a geography that was based on firsthand knowledge rather than hearsay. In an era where much of the world’s knowledge came from legend, al-Maqdisi’s dedication to seeing the world for himself set him apart.
A Life of Adventure and Hardship
Al-Maqdisi’s life was as varied as the lands he visited. In his own words:
I studied law and letters, practiced asceticism and piety, taught theology and letters, preached on the pulpits, called to prayer on the minarets, led the prayers in mosques, preached in the congregational mosques, frequented the schools. I said the prayers in convocation, spoke in the councils. I have eaten their porridge with mystics; supped broth with the monks, and pudding with the sailors. I have been ejected from mosques at night, have traveled in the solitudes, gone astray in the deserts. At times I have been scrupulously pious; at times I have openly eaten forbidden food. I have become acquainted with the devout men on Mount Lebanon, and also been on intimate terms with governors. I have owned slaves, but have had to carry baskets on my own head.
A number of times I was close to drowning; our caravans were waylaid on the highway. I have served the judges and the great ones, have spoken with rulers and ministers. I have accompanied the licentious on the way, sold goods in the markets, been confined in jail, been accused as a spy. I have witnessed war with the Romaneans (Byzantines) in battleships, and the ringing of church bells at night. I have been a bookbinder to earn money, have bought water at a high price. I have ridden in sedans and on horseback, have walked in the sandstorms and snows. I have been in the courtyards of the kings, standing among the nobles. I have lived among the ignorant in the workshops of weavers. What glory and honor I have been given! Yet my death has been plotted more than once. I have performed the Pilgrimage, and visited Medina; have been on forays and in frontier posts. I have drunk sawiq (a potage of grains) from the public fountains in Mecca, eaten bread and chickpeas in a monastery.
In this vivid recounting, al-Maqdisi gives us a window into a life that balanced faith, adventure, and the very real dangers of medieval travel. His encounters ranged from the spiritual to the mundane, from the heights of courtly life to the depths of imprisonment. It was this wealth of experience that allowed him to write with such authority and insight.
The Legacy of al-Maqdisi
Al-Maqdisi reflects on how these experiences shaped his work, ranging from gifts given by royalty to having “had good experience of pickpockets.” In the end, he believed it all helped him compile his book:
Experiences of this kind are many, but I have mentioned such a number of them that the reader of our book may know that we did not compile it haphazardly, nor arrange it in any random fashion. The reader will thus be able to distinguish between it and the others; for, after all, what a difference there is between one who has undergone all these experiences, and one who has compiled his book in perfect ease, basing it on the reports of others.
Al-Maqdisi’s work didn’t just map the world; it opened doors for how we understand the diversity of cultures and regions. His journeys and hardships contributed to a legacy that still inspires geographers today. His book remains a timeless testament to the power of curiosity and firsthand knowledge.
The Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions: Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Marifat al-Aqalim, has been translated by Basil Anthony Collins. You can buy it on Amazon.com.
Top Image: Photo by Chris Ford / Flickr
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