In the 12th century the Normans ruled Southern Italy and Sicily. King Roger II famously permitted broad religious tolerance, welcoming Muslim intellectuals from the Islamic Golden Age as well as Byzantine Christian intellectuals to court. Trade and access to knowledge flourished relative to most of Europe.
One of the more interesting results of this scenario is the Tabula Rogeriana, an atlas of the world commissioned by King Roger II and made by Arab geographer al-Idrisi:
Wikipedia:
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The Nuzhat al-mushtāq fī ikhtirāq al-āfāq (Arabic: نزهة المشتاق في اختراق الآفاق, lit. "The Excursion of One Eager to Penetrate the Distant Horizons"), commonly known in the West as the Tabula Rogeriana (lit. "The Book of Roger" in Latin), is an atlas commissioned by the Norman King Roger II in 1138 and completed by the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi in 1154. The atlas compiles 70 maps of the known world with associated descriptions and commentary of each specific location by Al-Idrisi.[1][2][3][4]
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I will note that calling your atlas and life's work "The Excursion of One Eager to Penetrate the Distant Horizons" is beyond cool.
In it, we have quite the detailed and accurate map of the known world. I will present it upside down for congruence with modern maps:
Other maps from the Islamic Golden Age often centered around the Islamic territory or were not nearly as detailed. For example, al-Biruni's map of the world in 1029:
Meanwhile, the work for Tabula Rogeriana by al-Idrisi took 15 years of research and utilized high levels of scientific rigor.
Additional background:
Wikipedia
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The book, written in Arabic, is divided into seven "climatic zones" each of which is subdivided into ten sections. Each section is given its two-page spread map, for a total of 70 maps. The maps are oriented with North at the bottom, South at the top, with Mecca in the middle.[9] Each map was organized according to a coordinate system that, while inaccurate by modern standards, nonetheless ensured a level of rigor and consistency in scale from map to map.[10] Al-Idrisi added pages of commentary following each map he produced. The text incorporates descriptions of the physical, cultural, political, and socioeconomic conditions of each region.[2][11] This information was largely accurate, with inconsistencies being attributable to flawed accounts from the travelers interviewed.[10] The map and its details also convey the original intention of the map's patron. Areas in North Africa and Europe that were closer to Roger II's kingdom had more accurate information, while further areas such as Southeast Asia were less detailed. This reflects Roger II's desire to learn more about his domain and its surrounding areas, as well as Al-Idrisi's greater personal experience with these lands. The work showed, in al-Idrisi's words, "the seven climatic regions, with their respective countries and districts, coasts and lands, gulfs and seas, watercourses and river mouths".
It calculated the circumference to be 37,000 kilometres (23,000 mi) – an error of less than 10 percent – and it hinted at the concept of gravity. The different maps, when compiled together, made a rectangular map of the known world. In later editions, a smaller circular world map in which the south was drawn at the top and Mecca, at the center was added to the manuscript. Al-Idrisi's book came to be known as Kitab Rujar (Roger's Book). The original atlas and silver disc was destroyed in a rebellion headed by Matthew Bonnellus in 1160. The manuscript enjoyed wide popularity and use throughout the world. The medieval scholar Gabriel Sionita translated the book into Latin and printed it in Paris in 1619. The book was also translated into Spanish, German, Russian, Finnish, French, Italian, Austrian, and Swedish.[12] A total of 10 copies remain in various conditions, 5 of which are complete manuscripts.[2] Two of these are currently stored at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France including the oldest, which dates to about 1325, (MS Arabe 2221).[clarification needed] The discrepancies found between manuscripts from different locations are owed to the fact that al-Idrisi left multiple different drafts for the original work.[12] Another copy, made in Cairo in 1553, is in the Bodleian Library in Oxford (Mss. Pococke 375). It was acquired in 1692.[13] The most complete manuscript, which includes the world map and all seventy sectional maps, is kept in Istanbul.[11]
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Another comparison is the Hereford Mappa Mundi from circa 1300 AD England. Quite the difference, since it is a religiously sourced map. You can see Jerusalem at its center. Very interesting as an artistic work and historic artifact even if you might have trouble getting where you're going.
In a museum in the UAE they've reproduced the Tabula Rogeriana map as a globe:
One of the more interesting results of this scenario is the Tabula Rogeriana, an atlas of the world commissioned by King Roger II and made by Arab geographer al-Idrisi:
Wikipedia:
----------
The Nuzhat al-mushtāq fī ikhtirāq al-āfāq (Arabic: نزهة المشتاق في اختراق الآفاق, lit. "The Excursion of One Eager to Penetrate the Distant Horizons"), commonly known in the West as the Tabula Rogeriana (lit. "The Book of Roger" in Latin), is an atlas commissioned by the Norman King Roger II in 1138 and completed by the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi in 1154. The atlas compiles 70 maps of the known world with associated descriptions and commentary of each specific location by Al-Idrisi.[1][2][3][4]
----------
I will note that calling your atlas and life's work "The Excursion of One Eager to Penetrate the Distant Horizons" is beyond cool.
In it, we have quite the detailed and accurate map of the known world. I will present it upside down for congruence with modern maps:
Other maps from the Islamic Golden Age often centered around the Islamic territory or were not nearly as detailed. For example, al-Biruni's map of the world in 1029:
Meanwhile, the work for Tabula Rogeriana by al-Idrisi took 15 years of research and utilized high levels of scientific rigor.
Additional background:
Wikipedia
----------
The book, written in Arabic, is divided into seven "climatic zones" each of which is subdivided into ten sections. Each section is given its two-page spread map, for a total of 70 maps. The maps are oriented with North at the bottom, South at the top, with Mecca in the middle.[9] Each map was organized according to a coordinate system that, while inaccurate by modern standards, nonetheless ensured a level of rigor and consistency in scale from map to map.[10] Al-Idrisi added pages of commentary following each map he produced. The text incorporates descriptions of the physical, cultural, political, and socioeconomic conditions of each region.[2][11] This information was largely accurate, with inconsistencies being attributable to flawed accounts from the travelers interviewed.[10] The map and its details also convey the original intention of the map's patron. Areas in North Africa and Europe that were closer to Roger II's kingdom had more accurate information, while further areas such as Southeast Asia were less detailed. This reflects Roger II's desire to learn more about his domain and its surrounding areas, as well as Al-Idrisi's greater personal experience with these lands. The work showed, in al-Idrisi's words, "the seven climatic regions, with their respective countries and districts, coasts and lands, gulfs and seas, watercourses and river mouths".
It calculated the circumference to be 37,000 kilometres (23,000 mi) – an error of less than 10 percent – and it hinted at the concept of gravity. The different maps, when compiled together, made a rectangular map of the known world. In later editions, a smaller circular world map in which the south was drawn at the top and Mecca, at the center was added to the manuscript. Al-Idrisi's book came to be known as Kitab Rujar (Roger's Book). The original atlas and silver disc was destroyed in a rebellion headed by Matthew Bonnellus in 1160. The manuscript enjoyed wide popularity and use throughout the world. The medieval scholar Gabriel Sionita translated the book into Latin and printed it in Paris in 1619. The book was also translated into Spanish, German, Russian, Finnish, French, Italian, Austrian, and Swedish.[12] A total of 10 copies remain in various conditions, 5 of which are complete manuscripts.[2] Two of these are currently stored at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France including the oldest, which dates to about 1325, (MS Arabe 2221).[clarification needed] The discrepancies found between manuscripts from different locations are owed to the fact that al-Idrisi left multiple different drafts for the original work.[12] Another copy, made in Cairo in 1553, is in the Bodleian Library in Oxford (Mss. Pococke 375). It was acquired in 1692.[13] The most complete manuscript, which includes the world map and all seventy sectional maps, is kept in Istanbul.[11]
----------
Another comparison is the Hereford Mappa Mundi from circa 1300 AD England. Quite the difference, since it is a religiously sourced map. You can see Jerusalem at its center. Very interesting as an artistic work and historic artifact even if you might have trouble getting where you're going.
In a museum in the UAE they've reproduced the Tabula Rogeriana map as a globe:
