Tabula RogerianaThe 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 geographerMuhammad al-Idrisi in 1154.
Roger II of SicilyRoger II or Roger the Great (Italian: Ruggero II, Sicilian: Ruggeru II, Greek: Ρογέριος; 22 December 1095 - 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became Duke of Apulia and Calabria in 1127, then King of Sicily in 1130 and King of Africa in 1148. BackgroundBy 999, Norman adventurers had arrived in southern Italy.
Almoravid dynasty1040–1147 Berber dynasty in west Africa and IberiaThe Almoravid dynasty (Arabic: المرابطون, romanized: Al-Murābiṭūn, lit. 'those from the ribats') was a Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire that stretched over the western Maghreb and al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almohads in 1147.
Al-AndalusMuslim-ruled parts of the Iberian Peninsula (711–1492)Umayyad Hispania at its greatest extent in 719 ADCaliphate of Córdobac. 1000 AD, at the zenith of AlmanzorAl-Andalus (Arabic: الأَنْدَلُس, romanised: al-ʾAndalus) refers to the various Muslim ruled territories on the Iberian Peninsula that existed between 711 and 1492. At its height, it covered the entirety of Spain and Portugal, as well as parts of southern France.
SicilySicily (Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia), officially the Sicilian Region, is an island in the central and one of the twenty regions of Italy, situated south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe. With over 4.7 million inhabitants, including 1.2 million in and around the capital city of Palermo, it is both the largest and most populous island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily's namesake is the Sicels, who inhabited the eastern part of the island during the Iron Age.
ArabsEthnic groupArabs (Arabic: عَرَب) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Before the spread of Arabic language in the wake of the Arab conquests, "Arab" largely referred to the Semitic inhabitants—both settled and nomadic—of the Arabian Peninsula and the Syrian Desert.
CeutaSpanish autonomous city in northwestern AfricaAutonomous city in SpainCeuta (UK: , US: ; Spanish:; Moroccan Arabic: سَبْتَة, romanized: Sabtah) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies between the and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of the special territories of members of the European Economic Area: it is part of the Schengen area, but with specific provisions such as border checks between Ceuta and European Spain.
PalermoPalermo (Sicilian: Palermu) is the capital and largest city of the autonomous island region of Sicily in southernItaly, located on the eponymous gulf facing the Tyrrhenian Sea. A 2,700-year-old city, it is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence. Founded in 734 BC by the Phoenicians as Sis ("flower"), Palermo then became a possession of Carthage.
LatinLatin (lingua Latina or Latinum) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area around Rome, Italy. Through the expansion of the Roman Republic, it became the dominant language in the Italian Peninsula and subsequently throughout the Roman Empire.
Early world mapsThe earliest known world maps date to classical antiquity, the oldest examples of the 6th to 5th centuries BCE still based on the flat Earth paradigm. World maps assuming a spherical Earth first appear in the Hellenistic period. The developments of Greek geography during this time, notably by Eratosthenes and Posidonius culminated in the Roman era, with Ptolemy's world map (2nd century CE), which would remain authoritative throughout the Middle Ages.
CartographyStudy and practice of making mapsCartography () is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively. The fundamental objectives of traditional cartography are to: Set the map's agenda and select traits of the object to be mapped. This is the concern of map editing.
ArabicCentral Semitic languageArabic is a Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns language codes to 32 varieties of Arabic, including its standard form of Literary Arabic, known as Modern Standard Arabic, which is derived from Classical Arabic.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.