Center of heritage revival organizes a seminar “Geographical Thought in al-Iṣṭakhrī’s Work.”
Under the supervision of Assistant Professor Dr. Laith Majid Hussein, (Director of the Center for the Revival of Arab Scientific Heritage ) at the University of Baghdad, the Center organizes a seminar entitled “Geographical Thought in al-Iṣṭakhrī’s Work.” The seminar, held in the lecture hall of Professor Nabeela Abdul Muneem Dawood, The lecture was delivered by Assistant Lecturer Walaa Dhiaa Nassif, a faculty member at our Center. She spoke about Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Farisi al-Iṣṭakhrī, one of the most prominent Muslim geographers and cartographers of the 10th century CE. Born in the city of Istakhr (in Iran), al-Iṣṭakhrī had a major influence on the development of geographical science.
His book “Al-Masalik wa al-Mamalik” (Routes and Realms) is considered one of his most significant works. It was frequently cited by medieval geographers for its rich and varied information on the Islamic regions. The book includes detailed descriptions of borders, cities, rivers, and travel routes. The researcher also noted that there is a version of this book containing 299 illustrations, including 21 maps in which al-Iṣṭakhrī attempted to depict the regions of the known world. He is regarded as part of a school referred to by some as the “Atlas of Islam” group, which also included al-Balkhi, al-Muqaddasi, and Ibn Hawqal.
