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Preface
ThisworkcomprisesstudiesintheMuslimimageandideasofthe
world.ThemainpurposeofthisstudyistopresenttheMuslimimage
oftheworldfromthegeographicalpointofviewthroughthemajor
MuslimgeographicalsourcesoftheMiddleAges.Theactivityofthe
earlyIslamicscholarsinthefieldofgeography,cosmography,and
astronomyisknowntousnotonlythroughtheiroriginalworksthat
havereachedus,butalsothroughthemassofstudies,surveys,and
editionswhichweremadebyrecentscholars,especiallyby
orientalists.Theauthorʼsaimisalsotoexplorethelinksbetween
Muslimthoughtingeneralandthegeographicaldatatoformanidea
abouthowtheMuslimsintegratedIslamicandgeographicalconcepts
tocreateageneralandunifiedimageoftheworld.
ThesourcesareavailableinoriginalArabicorPersian.Manyof
themwerealsotranslatedintoEuropeanlanguages,studied,and
edited.Thedifferenceishowtounderstanditandhowtotreatit
methodologicallytoarriveatascientificapproachandasatisfying
conclusionfromalloftheseworks.Thetechniqueusedinthisstudyis
dictatedbytheaforementionedpurposes.Imustasktobejudged
accordingtowhatIattemptandnotaccordingtowhatotherscholars
havequitedifferentlyattempted.
Thegeographicalinformationmentionedinthisworkpresentsthe
mainideawithoutaddingexoticspecimenstothemainconceptofthe
Muslimimageoftheworld.Theworldimageisusedinthisstudyin
twosenses:thematureimageoftheworldanditscomponentsandthe
consciouspictureoftheworldanditscomponentsastheybecame
cleartothem.TheMuslimimageoftheworldistreatedinthisstudy
asaproductofgeographicalscience,notmerelyasaproductof
religion.Thus,inadditiontothechaptersonIslamicinfluenceon
geography,itcontainsthemainchaptersandtheyarethemajority
onaspectsoftheimageoftheearth,oceans,seas,islands,rivers,and
mountains.
Moreover,itpresentsacontributiontothestudiesofscholarsof
boththeEastandWesttointroduceMuslimgeographyandits