Description

Yaqut Al- Hamawi (from Hamah, Syria, 1179–1229 AD, 574–626 AH) was an Arab geographer of Greek origins. Born in Byzantium (the ancient Greek city also known as Constantinople, or present-day Istanbul), he was captured in war and enslaved. He was purchased by a Baghdad merchant, who gave him a good education and ultimately freed him. Yaqut traveled extensively in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Persia (present-day Iran). His Mu'jam al-Buldan (Dictionary of countries) is a vast geographical encyclopedia, which summarizes nearly all medieval knowledge of the globe. The ...