Abu-Hamid, Idrisi, Description of Eastern Europe

Abu-Hamid
Al-Idrisi
Europe in the 11th century
The spread of Christianity in Europe
The Mongol Invasion in Eastern-Europe
Abu-Hamid al-Garnati

(Around 1080-1170) An Arabic trveller, who visited most of the countries of Eastern-Europe between 1131-1153. He recorded his travel experiences in two works ("The Gift of Hearts and the Book of Selected Wonders" and "A Clear Description of Some Wonders of the Countries of the West"). In the latter one he gives a detailed description of Hungary, which he called "Unkuríjja", focusing on the situation of the Muslims, who lived among the Basgirds (Hungarians).

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Idrisi

(1100-1165) A Sycilian Arabic geographer (Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi). He studied at Cordoba, then he lived at the court of Roger II, a Sycilian Normann ruler. He made his famous map here in 1154, which represented the whole world. It was 3.5 meter by 1.5 meter in size, engraved into a silver plate. Unfortunately it was destroyed in 1160. The description accompanying the world map ("The Book of the Man, Who Wanted to Wander the Horizons"), however, survived in several manuscripts, one of which contains 69 maps. Information concerning Hungary might have originated from Italian tradesmen, since Idrisi himself had never been to Hungary.

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The Description of Eastern Europe

The work made in 1308 (Descriptio Euripae Orientalis) gives a description about the Balcans, besides Hungary. The author of it is unknown; according to some theories it might have been a French monk, while others say it may have been Andrew from Hungary (Andreas Hungarus), who served Stephen, the Younger King, and then worked in France and Italy.

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