Beta
You are viewing a draft
Not for citation.
  TEI/XML   RDF/XML  

Al-Muqaddasī, Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions 34-35

   https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/393

Context

Shams al-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Muqaddasī (334-390 A.H./945-1000 C.E.) was an Arab geographer and traveler during the mid- to late 10th century. Born in Jerusalem, al-Muqaddasī began studying history, jurisprudence, and matters of religion at a young age. As a member of the Balkhī school founded by Abū Zayd al-Balkhī (d. 322/934), al-Muqaddasī researched and wrote only on the lands under the authority of Islam. His major geographical work Aḥsan al-Taqāsīm fī l-Maʿrifat al-Aqālīm (Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions) draws upon a robust literary genre that emerged in the 9th century, al-masālik wa-l-mamālik ("routes and realms"), but also incorporates scientific and religious principles. Best Divisions includes Al-Muqaddasī’s own experiences and observations after 20 years of traveling across the Abbasid Empire and beyond. This passage from early in the treatise includes Caesarea among those cities he considers the best for living.

Text

فان سأل سائل اىّ البلدان أطيب نُظر فان كان ممَّن يطلب الدارين قيل له بيت المقدس وان كان مخلصَّا آمنا من الطمع قيل مكّة وان كان ممّن يطلب النعمة والحيازة والرخص والفواكه قيل له كلُّ بلد أجزاك والّا فعليك بخمسة أمصار دمشق والبصرة والرىّ وبخارا وبلخ أو بخمس مدائن قيساريَّة وباعيناثا وخجندة والدينور ونوقان أو بخمس نواح الصغد والصغانيان ونهاوند وجزيرة ابن عمر وسابور فاختر ما شئتَ منها فإنها مَنَازِه الإسلام، وامَّا الأندلس فيقال انها جنّات ومستفاض جنَّات الدنيا اربع غوطة دمشق ونهر الأبلَّة وروضة الصغد وشعب بوَّان. 1

Textual Note

ed. de Goeje 1906

Translation

If someone asked, which land is the best? One responds, if he seeks two homes, then he should say Bayt al-Maqdis. If he is more virtuous than greedy, then he should say Makka. If he is one seeking blessings and possessions, cheapness and fruits, then he should respond that any land can reward you. And yet you can choose five garrison towns—Dimashq, Baṣra, Rayy, Bukhārā, and Balkh—or five cities—Qaysāriyya, Bāʿaynāthā, Khujanda, Dīnawar, and Nūqān—or five districts—Ṣughd, Ṣaghāniyān, Nahāwand, Jazīrat Ibn ʿUmar, and Sābūr. Choose any of these places, for they are beautiful lands of Islam. As for al-Andalus, one says that it is a paradise. But the abundant paradises of the world are four: the Ghūṭa of Dimashq, the river of Ubulla, the meadows of Ṣughd, and the valley of Bawwān. 2

Translation Note

Trans. T. Marashi with ref. to Ranking and Azoo 1906 and Collins 1994

Works Cited

  • 1 Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Al-Muqaddasī, Aḥsan Al-Taqāsīm Fī l-Maʿrifat al-Aqālīm, trans. George S. A. Ranking and R. J. Azoo, Bibliotheca Indica 137 (Calcutta: Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1906), p: 34-35.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
  • 2 Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Al-Muqaddasī, Aḥsan Al-Taqāsīm Fī l-Maʿrifat al-Aqālīm, trans. George S. A. Ranking and R. J. Azoo, Bibliotheca Indica 137 (Calcutta: Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1906), p: 50.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record

Additional Bibliography

  • Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Al-Muqaddasī, The Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions: A Translation of Aḥsan al-Taqāsīm Fī l-Maʿrifat al-Aqālīm, trans. Basil Anthony Collins (Reading: Garnet Publishing, 1994), p: 31-32.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
About This Text

 

How to Cite This Entry

Taryn Marashi et al., “Al-Muqaddasī, Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions 34-35,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/393.

Bibliography:

Taryn Marashi et al., “Al-Muqaddasī, Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions 34-35.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/393.

About this Entry

Entry Title: Al-Muqaddasī, Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions 34-35

Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:

  • Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
  • Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
  • David A. Michelson and William L. Potter, technical editors, “Al-Muqaddasī, Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions 34-35”
  • Taryn Marashi and Joseph L. Rife, entry contributors, “Al-Muqaddasī, Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions 34-35”

Additional Credit:

  • TEI encoding by Joseph L. Rife
  • URNs and other metadata added by Joseph L. Rife
  • Electronic text added by Taryn Marashi
  • Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife
Show full citation information...