The history and description of Africa and of the notable things therein contained, Vol. 1 http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.CH.DOCUMENT.nuhmafricanus1 Use of the Aluka digital library is subject to Aluka’s Terms and Conditions, available at http://www.aluka.org/page/about/termsConditions.jsp. By using Aluka, you agree that you have read and will abide by the Terms and Conditions. Among other things, the Terms and Conditions provide that the content in the Aluka digital library is only for personal, non-commercial use by authorized users of Aluka in connection with research, scholarship, and education. The content in the Aluka digital library is subject to copyright, with the exception of certain governmental works and very old materials that may be in the public domain under applicable law. Permission must be sought from Aluka and/or the applicable copyright holder in connection with any duplication or distribution of these materials where required by applicable law. Aluka is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of materials about and from the developing world. For more information about Aluka, please see http://www.aluka.org The history and description of Africa and of the notable things therein contained, Vol. 1 Alternative title The history and description of Africa and of the notable things therein contained Author/Creator Leo Africanus Contributor Pory, John (tr.), Brown, Robert (ed.) Date 1896 Resource type Books Language English, Italian Subject Coverage (spatial) Northern Swahili Coast;Middle Niger, Mali, Timbucktu, Southern Swahili Coast Source Northwestern University Libraries, G161 .H2 Description Written by al-Hassan ibn-Mohammed al-Wezaz al-Fasi, a Muslim, baptised as Giovanni Leone, but better known as Leo Africanus. Done into English in the year 1600, by John Pory, and now edited, with an introduction and notes, by Dr. Robert Brown.Translation of Della descritiione dell'Africa et delle cose notabili che ivi sono, which was edited on the basis of the author's original text (probably written in Italian) by G. B. Ramusio and first published in Venice in 1550. Format extent 354 pages (length/size) http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.CH.DOCUMENT.nuhmafricanus1 http://www.aluka.org WORKS ISSUED BY tb Fahtu* t Zocict* . "0 THE HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF AFRICA OF LEO AFRICANUS. VOL. I. No XCII. THE HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF AFRICA AND OF THE NOTABLE THINGS THEREIN CONTAINED, WRITTEN BY AL-HASSAN IBN-MOHAMMED AL-WEZAZ AL-FASI, A MOOR, BAPTISED AS GIOVANNI LEONE, BUT BETTER KNOWN AS LEO AFRICANUS. DONE INTO ENGLISH IN THE YEAR I6oo, BY JOHN PORY, anb nob Ebiteb, WittJ an tntrotuction anb jgotes, BY DR. ROBERT BROWN. IN THREE VOLUMES.-VOL. I. LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY, 4, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS, W.C. M.DCCCXCVJ. LONDON: PRINTED AT THE BEDFORD PRESS, 20 AND 21, BEDFORDBURY, W.C. CONTENTS. VOLUME I. PAGE PREFATORY NOTE. INTRODUCTION i PORY's DEDICATION TO SIR ROBERT CECIL 3 HIS ADDRESS TO THE READER 4 HIS GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF AFRICA 12 His DESCRIPTION OF PLACES UNDESCRIBED BY LEO 24 AN APPROBATION OF LEO'S HISTORY BY RICHARD HAKLUYT AND OTHERS 103 Notes on Pory's Introductory Matter 107 JOHN LEO HIS FIRST BOOK OF THE DESCRIPTION OF AFRICA 122 Notes to Book I 191 VOLUME II. THE SECOND BOOK 225 Notes to Book II 325 THETHIRDBO6K 393 Notes to Book flI 561 THE FOURTH BOOK 659 Notes to Book IV 69o CONTENTS. VOLUME III. THE FIFTH BOOK 699 Notes to Book V 745 THE SIXTH BOOK 773 Notes to Book VI 803 THE SEVENTH BOOK 8I9 Notes to Book VII 838 THE EIGHTH BOOK 855 Notes to Book VIII 9o6 THENINTHBOOK 927 PORY'S RELATION OF THE GREAT PRINCES OF AFRICA 973 HIS DISCOURSE OF THE RELIGIONS PROFESSED THERE . 1001 AND OF THE FORTRESSES AND COLONIES MAINTAINED THERE BY THE SPANIARDS AND PORTUGUESE . lO64 INDEX OF PLACES . 73 INDEX OF PERSONS, ETC. 1IO6 MAPS. I. NORTHERN AFRICA. II. LOWER EGYPT (inset on No. I). III. CAIRO (inset oil No. I). IV. BARBARY. V. HEA AND MAROCCO (inset on No. If). VI. THE ROAD FROM FEZ TO THE UPPER ZIZ (inset on No. IV). VII. NORTHERN FEZ. VIII. PORY'S MAP OF AFRICA (reduced). PREFATORY NOTE. As the members of the Hakluyt Society are already aware, the much-deplored death of the editor, at a period when barely a third of the text was in print, has deprived the present work of the advantage of his final revision, and also of the notes which it had been his intention to affix to the concluding chapters. As, however, the portion thus left unannotated was comparatively small, and seemed to contain few points not already touched upon in the notes to the earlier chapters, it has been deemed advisable not to introduce any additional matter, and the work, therefore, is issued in the state in which the manuscript was left at Dr. Brown's decease, with the exception of a few necessary alterations and excisions. The task of seeing through the press the remainder of the text, together with Dr. Brown's Introduction, has been performed in a most able manner by Dr. E. Denison Ross, whose linguistic attainments, and particularly his intimate acquaintance with Arabic, have been of especial benefit to the book. Dr. Ross has also prepared the general index to the volumes. Acknowledgments are also due to Mr. E. G. Ravenstein for the set of illustrative Maps which, together with an explanatory memorandum, he has prepared and presented to the Society for reproduction in these volumes. Founded as they are on an independent study of Leo's writings, these maps form in themselves an important contribution PREFATORY NOTE. to African geography, and greatly enhance the value of the book. In addition, Mr. Ravenstein has kindly contributed the index of place-names, which not only includes all references in the text, but also indicates the position of each place upon the appropriate map. The great bulk of the work has necessitated its issue in three volumes. Ordinarily, these would have been allotted, two to one year, and the third to the next. After careful consideration, however, it has been judged best to issue all three for 1895, thus presenting the subscribers for that year with an extra volume. WILLIAM FOSTER, Hon. Secre/ary. Vill INTRODUCTION. H E Arab who wrote the famous work to which these pages form an Introduction bears many names. That by which he was first in- troduced to the knowledge of lettered Europe by Gian Battista Ramusio (1485-1557), Secretary of the Venetian Council of Ten, was Giovanni Leone or Leo. This name he received from Giovanni de' Medici, Pope Leo X,1 who was first his master, then the priest by whom he was converted to Christianity, and finally his godfather and patron. Hence Leo is' also sometimes known as Joannes Medices. Having been born in Granada he is occasionally termed Eliberitances'-Granada being falsely supposed to be the 1 The writer of the article " Leo, Johannes" in the Encyc. Britannica (vol. xxiv, p. 453) is in error when he states that the Pope bestowed on him "his own name Johannes and Leo." 2 Paulus Jovius. "Leon de Grenade" is the name given to him by Genty de Bussy in De Zitablissement des Franfais dans la Rigence d'Alger, etc. (1835). INTRODUCTION. Roman Illiberes. However, from the fact of Leo being an African, or from his writing on Africa, he is now invariably called Leo Africanus. His Arab name was Al-Hassan Ibn Mohammed Al-Wezaz, Al-Fasi,1 that is, the man of Fez (a surname he obtained in his later years). He is also known as " El- Gharnthi", the Granadian,2 a designation which, apart from other facts, renders it extremely probable that he was born, not in Morocco, as "Al-Fgsi" might seem to indicate, but in Granada. On this point, indeed, there can be little doubt: for not only does he state the circumstance more than once in the body of the volume,' but Ramusio, who obtained his information from one of Leo's friends, reiterates the statement. Again, Leo tells us (p. 299) how he met at " Elmadin" "one of Granada my countreyman, who was exceeding rich, having serued as an archer in the region for fifteen years"; so that there is no reason for the hesitation expressed by Pory in his preface (notwithstanding the explicitness of the title-page of his translation), as to whether Leo "were borne in Granada, in Spaine (as it was likely), or in some part of Africa". 1 Hartmann, Edrisii Africa, p. xix. 2 Thus (in 1889) M. Delphin calls him "El Hassan ben Mohammed El Ouezaz El R'ernathe plus connu sous le nom de Lon l'Africain".-Fas, son unioersiti, etc., pp. 6-7. 3 The book ends after the Arab fashion, "finisce il Libro di Giovan -Leone nato in Granata e allevato in Barberia" (ioth March, 1526). INTRODUCTION. III The passage which seems to have raised doubt in his mind and in the minds of other commentators, e.g., Braus,' is the Latin of Florianus: " Cui " (Africa) "et vitae initium et educationis mea: bonam partem debeo",2 which Pory translates, correctly enough: "Africa unto which countrie I stand indebted both for my birth and also for the best part of my education" (p. 187). But the Italian original bears no such interpretation. " Essendo l'Affrica mia nudrice, & nella quale io cresciuto, & dove ho speso la pi' bella parte & la maggiore degli anni miei." This simply means that Africa was his "nurse", and that he there passed the early part of his life.