Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
chronology[86].Healsomadeanumberofvoyagestostudythe
regionsconqueredbytheGhaznavids,particularlytoIndia.Thatis
whyhecomposedaworkonthehistory,cultureandgeographyof
India.
Accordingtorecentresearch,theauthorfinishedhisfirstworkAl-
Āṯāral-bāqiya‘anal-qurūnal-ẖāliya
achronologyofancient
nationswhenhewasyoung(about27years).Hisgeographicalwork
whichfollowedinlatersuccessionexhibitsacleartendencytouse
astronomicalandmathematicalknowledge[87].SinceAl-Bīrūnīknew
Sanskrit,hemostprobablyhaddirectaccesstooriginalIndiansources
inthesetwofields.Thisisclearlyvisibleinhistwoworksof
Al-
Qānūnal-mas‘ūdīandTaḥdīdnihāyātal-amākinli-taṣḥīḥmasāfātal-
masākin(Thedeterminationoftheendoftheplacesforcorrectionof
distancesofinhabitedland)[88].Themeritofthesebooksforourstudy
comesfromthefactthathegivesthelatitudeandgeographical
locationofmanytownsandregionsforthelandofṢaqāliba,Bulḡārs
andotherplaces[89].
Thisbookalsocontainsveryimportantinformationonthepeople
whodwelledinthefurthermostregionsofthenorth,namelythe
peopleofWīsūandYūrā.Mostprobably,theinformationaboutthese
peoplewasrelatedtotheauthorbyTurkishpeoplefromEurasian
regions.YāqūtinhisbiographicaldictionaryinthesectiononAl-
Bīrūnī,reportsthat:“Onceuponatimeamessengercametothecourt
inḠaznafromthefurthermostreachesoftheTurkishland.TheTurk
relatedaboutwhathehadseenbeyondtheseatowardstheNorthPole,
sayingthatinthisplacetherewasnonight.Thecourtiersofthesultan
didnotbelievehimandaccusedhimoflyingandheresy.“Al-Bīrūnī,
whowasoneofthelisteners,tooktheinitiativetoscientifically
explaintothesultanandhismenhowthiscouldbetrueand
possible[90].
Al-Bīrūnī’sinformationabouttheSeaofWarankorWaranǧisalso
original[91].PerhapshewasoneofthefirstMuslimgeographersto
knowaboutthissea.Hementionedthatitwasthesameseawhich
issuedfromtheoceannorthofthelandoftheṢaqāliba.Itseemsthat
Al-BīrūnīsucceededincombiningtheGreekknowledgewithhis