Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} From the Meadows of Gold by Al-Mas'udi AL MASUDI MEADOWS OF GOLD PDF. Donor challenge: Your generous donation will be matched 2-to-1 right now. Your $5 becomes $15! Dear Internet Archive Supporter,. I ask only. Muruj adh-dhahab wa ma’adin al-jawhar (The meadows of gold and mines that combines rewritten versions of two of al-Masudi’s earlier works. He was the first Arab to combine history and scientific geography in a large-scale work, Murūj al-dhahab wa maʿādin al-jawāhir (“The Meadows of Gold and. Author: Arabar Kagajas Country: Belarus Language: English (Spanish) Genre: Career Published (Last): 22 January 2014 Pages: 245 PDF File Size: 17.73 Mb ePub File Size: 8.62 Mb ISBN: 779-7-98643-272-8 Downloads: 5293 Price: Free* [ *Free Regsitration Required ] Uploader: Dinos. His wide-ranging interests included the Greeks and the Romans. Their introduction also outlines how the editors relied mainly on the Pellat revision in French and are therefore mainly working from the French translation with the Arabic source text as a background guide. Notify me of new comments via email. He was much clearer on the more recent dynasties and his estimation of the time between Alexander the Great and Ardashir is much more accurately depicted than it is in al-Tabari. The British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies’ review suggests that although the English version leaves out several passages of Pellat’s edited version the book still retains important historical text and the passages omitted “are digressions from the main story and interrupt its flow. Abu Kathir and his student Fayyumi Rabbinical ; Yehuda b. Stewart”Muhammad b. Yusuf, student of the Sabian Thabit b. Lists with This Book. The Meadows of Gold, The Abbasids. Discover Prime Book Box for Kids. Another significant portion of the text involves the civil war between Caliph al-Amin r. He spent his last years in Syria and Egypt. He wrote in an informed way about the change of titulature during the reign of Nicephoras Iand had a powerful interest in people and polities beyond the Islamic world, including the Franks and the Lombards. This work is an abridgment of the Muruj adh-Dhahab about one-fifth its length, though containing new material on the Byzantines. Pellat also began revising the French translation. Her Greek name is Elena, having a numeric value of On an Indian war elephant: It was finished shortly before his death. The Persian temple at Istakhr Persepolis had idols, then just a fire. Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and engage customers. I’m about half way through. Published August 1st by Penguin Books first published Al- Mas’udi and His Worldpp. Post was not sent – check your email addresses! Customers who bought this item also bought. The Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems. He was not content to learn merely from books and teachers but traveled widely to gain firsthand knowledge of the countries about which he wrote. Mark Papa rated it liked it Sep 15, Most Tibetans are maxudi Himyarite Yemeni origin. Those brought west to the lands of Islam: Al-Mas’udi was also very well informed about Byzantine affairseven internal political events and the unfolding of palace coups. A manuscript in the Bodleian LibraryOxford, may possibly be one volume goldd it. From the Meadows of Gold by Al-Mas’udi. Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems in Arabic: If only we were as tolerant now. He demonstrates a deep understanding of historical change, tracing current conditions to the unfolding of events over generations and centuries. The Histories of Mas’udi. Return to Book Page. Some of its bones are fused, so it is unable to bend its knees and therefore to lie down. Little is known of his means and funding of his extensive travels within and beyond the lands of Islam, and it has been medows that like many travelers he may have been involved in trade. One English version was published in and was translated gild edited by Paul Lunde and Caroline Stone. He was well read in philosophy, knowing the works of al-Kindi and al-Razithe Aristotelian thought of al-Farabi and the Platonic writings. He was very well informed on Rus trade with the Byzantines and on the competence of the Rus in sailing merchant vessels and warships. They forbid wine, not due to religion but to protect the mind and reason. He mentions the AssyriansBabyloniansEgyptians and Persians among others. He informed the Arabic reader that the Rus were more than just a few traders. Before the spread of Islam and, with it, the Arabic language, Arab referred to any of the largely nomadic Semitic inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula. They also note the stark contrast between contemporary European conditions confronting say the author of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and mwsudi highly literate Islamic world. It chews the cud. AL MASUDI MEADOWS OF GOLD PDF. Donor challenge: Your generous donation will be matched 2-to-1 right now. Your $5 becomes $15! Dear Internet Archive Supporter,. I ask only. Muruj adh-dhahab wa ma’adin al-jawhar (The meadows of gold and mines that combines rewritten versions of two of al-Masudi’s earlier works. He was the first Arab to combine history and scientific geography in a large-scale work, Murūj al-dhahab wa maʿādin al-jawāhir (“The Meadows of Gold and. Author: Mimi Nenos Country: Maldives Language: English (Spanish) Genre: Spiritual Published (Last): 16 June 2006 Pages: 429 PDF File Size: 17.28 Mb ePub File Size: 2.34 Mb ISBN: 624-7-28384-342-3 Downloads: 46344 Price: Free* [ *Free Regsitration Required ] Uploader: Tygodal. From the Meadows of Gold by Al-Mas’udi. Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems in Arabic: One English version is the abridged The Meadows of Gold: A first version of the book was allegedly completed in the year AD but the author spent most of his life adding and editing the work as well. For over years this version was the standard version used by Western scholars until Charles Pellat published a French revision between and This revision was published by the Universite Libanaise in Beirut and consisted of five volumes. Versions of the source text by Mas’udi have been published in Arabic for hundreds of years, mainly mawudi presses operating in Egypt and Lebanon. One English version was published in and was translated and edited by Paul Lunde and Caroline Stone. According to this edition’s introduction, their English translation is heavily edited masufi contains only a fragment of the original manuscript due to the editors’ own personal research interests and focuses almost exclusively on the Abbasid history of Mas’udi. Their introduction also outlines how the editors relied mainly on the Pellat revision in French and are therefore mainly working from the French translation with the Arabic source text as a background guide. Another English version was published in by Aloys Sprengerwhich includes a full translation of the first volume and extensive footnotes. Kennedy calls the book “Probably the best introduction to the Arabic historical tradition for the non-specialist. From the Meadows of Gold. Written in the “new style” of historical writing of al-Dinawari and al-Ya’qubiMeadows of Meacows is composed in a format that contains both historically documented factshadiths or sayings from reliable sources and stories, anecdotespoetry and jokes that the author had heard or had read elsewhere. Due to its reliance on and references to Islam this style of history writing makes up an example medows what constitutes Islamic historiography in general. Masudi also contributed an important role in this historicity by adding the importance of eye-witnessing a place or event in order to strengthen its veracity. Khalidi states that “Mas’udi’s own observations form a valuable part of his work. In addition the book is unique in medieval Islamic history for its interest in other cultures and religions as scientific and cultural curiosities. In addition are several pages of poetry. Some notable sections include several stories involving the various Caliphs and their interactions with commoners like “Mahdi and the Bedouin” 37 in which the Caliph al-Mahdi r. A large portion of the English text is dedicated to stories involving the Caliph Harun al-Rashid r. These stories from Masudi are key elements in several English-language historical non-fiction books about Harun al-Rashid, including Hugh N. John Philby ‘s Harun Al-Rashid. Another significant portion of the text involves the civil war between Caliph al-Amin r. The text spends a considerable amount of pages relaying several lengthy poems about the horrors of siege of Baghdad at the time. While the French version has been a key historical text for over a century, the newer English version has received mixed reviews. The British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies’ review suggests that although the English version leaves out several passages of Pellat’s edited version the book still retains important historical text and the passages masuvi “are digressions from the main story and interrupt its flow. The Journal of the American Oriental Societyhowever, takes issue with the fact that the English version relied heavily on the French edited version and not the entire French or Arabic version and that the editing of the text cut out parts that were “no less historical import than the ones included. This review also is critical of the English version’s use of vignette-style segments versus the style of Mas’udi, whose original work is not cut into small pieces but rather is written in full pages without apparent breaks or chapters. From Wikipedia, the meadwos encyclopedia. Kegan Paul International Publication date. The Meadows of Gold: Translated and edited by Paul Lunde and Caroline Stone. el-Masūdī’s historical encyclopaedia, entitled “Meadows of gold and mines of gems.” When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World: Da Capo P, The Histories of Mas’udi. State U of New York. The Abbasids by Masudi. Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. Geography and cartography in medieval Islam. Retrieved from ” https: Articles containing Arabic-language text Pages to import images to Wikidata. Views Read Edit View history. This page was last edited on 28 Decemberat By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Medieval IraqUnited Kingdom. AL MASUDI MEADOWS OF GOLD PDF. Donor challenge: Your generous donation will be matched 2-to-1 right now. Your $5 becomes $15! Dear Internet Archive Supporter,. I ask only. Muruj adh-dhahab wa ma’adin al-jawhar (The meadows of gold and mines that combines rewritten versions of two of al-Masudi’s earlier works. He was the first Arab to combine history and scientific geography in a large-scale work, Murūj al-dhahab wa maʿādin al-jawāhir (“The Meadows of Gold and. Author: Vudora Kadal Country: Latvia Language: English (Spanish) Genre: Music Published (Last): 3 August 2005 Pages: 425 PDF File Size: 1.34 Mb ePub File Size: 3.83 Mb ISBN: 227-8-77538-785-2 Downloads: 34704 Price: Free* [ *Free Regsitration Required ] Uploader: Kigabar. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Views Read Edit View history. AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally. Views Read Edit View history. The Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems. View all 6 comments. If a king drinks wine, they hold that he deserves to be deposed since it is impossible for him to govern with clouded reason. From the Meadows of Gold by Al-Mas’udi. Ahmad Shboul notes some of the impact the French translation had on European intellectuals. The very first one recounts the meeting of al-Mansur and a blind poet unaware of the identity of his distinguished interlocutor. Mirza Mehdi Khan Astarabadi. Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon. medows. He was well read in philosophy, knowing the works of al-Kindi and al-Razithe Aristotelian thought of al-Farabi and the Platonic writings. A good, light read, like all the books in this Penguin series. So far this book has been my favorite in the series because Al-Masudi was sent on behalf of an entire nation to recount the history of the world whereas the other accounts were personal stories of adventure and unknown travel. Amazon Renewed Refurbished products with a warranty. History is treated in a number of articles. The rhinoceros is found in India. See also Arabic language. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered. In a way, its more literary style makes it less vivid than the cruder verbatim narratives that Tabari gives us and, on occasion, Masudi’s narratives seem to reflect the perceptions of his own time rather than those of the earlier Abbasid period. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Archived from the original on Then it intersperses chapters describing the history, geography, social life, and religious customs of non-Islamic lands, such as IndiaGreeceand Romewith accounts of the oceans, the calendars of various nations, climate, the solar system, and great temples. He went to China via India. Barbier de Meynard and Pavet de Courteille were the French translators for this edition. One English version is the abridged The Meadows of Gold: He also described the geography of many lands beyond the Abbasid Caliphateas well as the customs and religious beliefs of many peoples. In general his surviving works reveal an intensely curious mind, a universalist eagerly mausdi as extensive a background of the entire world as possible. He spoke of the significance of the Khazars and provided much fresh material on them. The titles of more than 20 books attributed to him are known, including several about Islamic beliefs and sects and even one about poisonsbut most of his writings have been lost. Moreover, he utilized information obtained from sources not previously regarded as reliable. He obtained a copy of a list of Frankish rulers from Clovis to his own time. : Meadows Of Gold (): Masudi: Books. Some of its bones are fused, so it is unable to bend its knees and therefore to lie down. Post was not sent – check your email addresses! Amazon Second Chance Pass it on, trade it in, give it a second life. Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. The tradition of writing histories of enormous scope…. Apr 22, yellow tree rated it really liked it Shelves: I particularly liked his stance on religion; his firm belief in Islam not tainted by scorn for other faiths. Albert Einstein, German-born physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity and…. Yusuf, student of the Sabian Thabit b. Charis rated it really liked it Aug 24, It’s amazing how many places he had been and all the things he had seen, to be able to be a part of history. The Meadows of Gold – Wikipedia. Some of the dates and facts are mistaken, but the wealth of information in this short volume is astounding! Amazon Inspire Digital Educational Resources. London and New York,p. One English version was published in and was translated and edited by Paul Lunde and Caroline Stone. Persia was a vast empire with a history that was already ancient before the arrival of Islam. Al Masudi. The historian and geographer, Abul Hasan Ali Ibn Hussain Ibn Ali Al Masudi (895-957 CE) was a scion of an age when Islamic scholarship had overcome the challenge of Greek rationalism, and having thrown off the yoke of deductive absurdity, found its own expression in the inductive empiricism of the Qur’an. The history of this challenge and the aftermath of ensuing battles has defined the intellectual landscape of Islam until modern times. Al Masudi was a descendent of Abdullah Ibn Masud, a companion of Prophet Muhammed (pbuh). He was born and educated in Baghdad during the reign of Caliph Al Mu’tadid (892-904 CE). An understanding of the political, economic and intellectual milieu surrounding him is helpful in appreciating his time and his work. At the turn of the ninth century, the Islamic world extended from Spainto the borders of India, but it was like a giant banyan tree decaying from within. The Abbasid Caliphs in Baghdad had lost their hold on vast territories. The Aghlabids in Tripoli were independent all but in name. The Fatimids, after establishing themselves in North Africa, were advancing towards Egypt. Far away Spain enjoyed the zenith of its power under Abdur Rahman III, who had declared his own claim to the Caliphate. Closer to home, the Shia Buyids ruled in Southern Iraq and for a while occupied Baghdad itself (945CE). The Sassanids had established themselves in Bokhara and competed with the Abbasids in establishing centers of learning and culture in their realm. The nomadic Turks, facing drought in their Central Asian homelands, were on the move, crossing Amu Darya in large numbers into Farghana and Northeastern Persia. The breakup of centralized power in Baghdad fostered intense competition among the regional powers to attract scholars to their courts and establish centers of learning. Scholarship thrived. It was the age of intellectual giants. The physician Al Razi ( d.925), the commentator Abu Tabari (d. 923), the theologian al Ashari (d. 936), the Persian mystic Mansur al Hallaj (922) and the Sufi Shaikh al Farabi (d. 950) were all compatriots of Al Masudi. It was a period when empirical science as well as spiritual quests reached their heights and paved the way for Al Gazzali and Ibn Sina in the following century. While political affairs in the great landmass of Afro-Eurasia were unsettled, the littoral states of the Indian Ocean enjoyed peace and prosperity. Trade and travel had forged commercial links between these peoples transcending the barriers of region, religion, race and ethnicity. Prosperous cities dotted the shores of East Africa, South Asia and the Western Pacific. Dar es Salaam, Shofala, Kilwa, Mobasa, Pemba Malindi, Mogadishu in East Africa; Aden, Hormuz, Basrah, Surat and Cochin in the Arabian Sea; Sri Lanka and Malacca in the Indian Ocean; Canton in the Western Pacific were thriving trade centers. The energy for this growth came from the zeal and drive of the Muslims who traveled throughout Asia and Africa searching for trading opportunities. Large colonies of Arabs and Persians grew up on distant shores which made it easier for restless globe trotters like Al Masudi to travel, trade, observe and learn. Al Masudi was a young man of twenty when he traveled to Persia which was at the time a hotbed of Buyid political intrigue. Returning to Baghdad the following year, he proceeded to Mansura and Multan (today’s Pakistan). Mansura was the capital of the province of Sind which marked the limit of Islamic domains. Situated in the delta of the great river, it was a prosperous region that excited the imagination of many a youth. From Mansura, Al Masudi traveled to Surat in Gujarat. Here the young traveler had first hand contact with the Hindu civilization which had given the works of Aryabhatta to Islamic astronomy. Traveling further South, Al Masudi landed in Malabar on the Western coast of India, visited Sri Lanka and sailed from there to Sumatra in Indonesia and Malacca in modern Malaysia. Then as now, the Straits of Malacca were the conduit for ships from the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. There was brisk trade between the eastern seaboard of India and Malacca. From here, Al Masudi moved north to Cantonin China. Although the city had been sacked in the anti-foreigner riots of 865CE, the trading post had recovered some of its trade by the year 920 when Al Masudi visited it. Retracing his course around the rim of the Indian Ocean, Al Masudi traveled South to the island of Madagaskar and the eastern seaboard of Africa. He describes Shofala as a city of gold and the cities of Africa as rich and prosperous. He returned to Basrah in 922 and wrote his first historical compendium Muruj-al-Zahab wa al-Ma-adin al-Jawahir (Meadows of Gold and Mines of Precious Stones). In this collection, he describes in fascinating detail the habitation, geography and ecology of the lands he had visited. Later in his life, Al Masudi moved first to Damascus (Syria) and then to Fustrat (Cairo), Egypt. Here, he wrote his second volume Muruj al Zaman, in thirty volumes. In this masterpiece, he records the cultures, religious practices and customs of the peoples he had visited and makes observations on their civilizations. He was the first historian who based his writings on empirical observation and inductive science. As such, he was a precursor to the great historian Ibn Khaldun and the father of modern historiography. In 955 CE, he wrote Kitab al-Awsat, in which he lists chronologically the historical events from ancient times till the year 955 CE. This was the first scholarly effort to sort out historical events from myths, legends and hearsay. His last work, Kitab al-Tanbih wa al-Ishraf, written in the year of his death 947 CE, provides a summary of his earlier works. Al Masudi is sometimes referred to as the Herodotus of the Arabs. This title does justice to neither savant. Herodotus, who preceded Al Masudi by more than a thousand years, was a first rank historian; however, his unverified assertions have sometimes earned him the title “the father of lies”. His great work “the histories” is a compendium of myths, tales, opinions and some facts. His travels to Babylon, Persia and Egypt to collect the material for his books are a subject of controversy and debate. Finally, Herodotus found an explanation for historical events in the whims of Greek gods. By contrast, Al Masudi’s observations have their grounding in geography, ethnography, ecology, anthropology and historical facts. He finds the principle of movement in history in the work of man and his environment, not in the supernatural. His travels to Persia, India, East Africa and China are seldom questioned. Al Masudi’s methodology was anchored in the inductive method which was adopted by the Muslims after their encounter, and their rejection, of the rational, deductive methodology of the Greeks. The empirical method belongs to the Muslims, just as the rational method belongs to the Greeks, and it was al Masudi, not Herodotus, who was the inventor of empirical historiography. Al Masudi composed a map of the then known world which represented a significant advance upon earlier maps. It shows a large landmass Al Masudi identifies as unknown territory lying beyond “the ocean of darkness and fog”. The landmass suggests the contour of South America. Al Masudi writes in The Meadows of Gold and Quarries of Jewels that a Muslim sailor Ibn Aswad sailed through the ocean of darkness and fog in the year 889 CE and returned with treasures of gold and silver. The map and the description have led to the speculation that the Americas were known to the Arabs and the Africans. Al Masudi was an accomplished geologist and mineralogist. He studied earthquakes and in one his treatises he analyzed the earthquake of 855 CE. He also propounded a theory of evolution from minerals to plants to animals to man. In this work he presages Charles Darwin by nine hundred years. This great scholar, founder of the empirical method in the social and historical sciences, passed away in the year 957 CE. Al-Masudi. Abu al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī al-Masʿūdī ; c. 896 –956) was an Arab , أﺑﻮ اﻟﺤﺴﻦ ﻋﻠﻲ ﺑﻦ اﻟﺤﺴﯿﻦ ﺑﻦ ﻋﻠﻲ اﻟﻤﺴﻌﻮدي :Al-Mas‘udi (Arabic historian and geographer. He is sometimes referred to as the Herodotus of the Arabs. [1] [2] Al-Mas‘udi was one of the first to combine history Muruj adh-dhahab , ﻣﺮوج اﻟﺬھﺐ وﻣﻌﺎدن اﻟﺠﻮاھﺮ :and scientific geography in a large-scale work, The Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems (Arabic wa ma'adin al-jawhar ), a world history. Contents. Birth, travels and literary output. Al-Mas‘udi states that he was born in Baghdad and that he was a descendant of Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad. However, little else is known about his early years. He mentions his association with many scholars in the lands through which he travelled. However, most of what is known of him comes from his own works. Although Ahamd Shboul questions the full extent of al-Mas‘udi's travels, even his more conservative estimation is impressive: Al-Mas‘udi's travels actually occupied most of his life from at least 303/915 to very near the end. His journeys took him to most of the Persian provinces, Armenia, Georgia and other regions of the Caspian Sea; as well as to Arabia, Syria and Egypt. He also travelled to the Indus Valley, and other parts of India, especially the western coast; and he voyaged more than once to East Africa. He also sailed on the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean and the Caspian. [3] Other writers include Sri Lanka and China among his travels. Lunde and Stone in the introduction to their English translation state that al-Mas‘udi received much information on China from Abu Zaid al-Sirafi whom he met on the coast of the Persian Gulf. [4] In Syria al-Mas‘udi met Leo of Tripoli. Leo was a Byzantine admiral who converted to Islam. From him the historian received much of his information about Byzantium. He spent his last years in Syria and Egypt. In Egypt he found a copy of a Frankish king list from Clovis to Louis IV that had been written by an Andalusian bishop. There is not much known about how he supported himself during such extensive travels within and beyond the lands of Islam. Lunde and Stone speculate that like many travelers he may have been involved in trade. Near the ending of the The Meadows of Gold, al-Mas‘udi wrote: The information we have gathered here is the fruit of long years of research and painful efforts of our voyages and journeys across the East and the West, and of the various nations that lie beyond the regions of Islam. The author of this work compares himself to a man, who having found pearls of all kinds and colours and gathers them together into a necklace of and makes them into an ornament that its possessor guards with great care. My aim has been to trace the lands and the histories of many peoples, and I have no other. [5] Shboul notes that al-Mas‘udi rewrote Muruj adh-dhahab . [6] The extant version is only an earlier draft from 947, not the revised 956 edition. Lunde and Stone note that al-Mas‘udi in his Tanbih states that the revised edition of Muruj adh-dhahab contained 365 chapters. Al-Mas‘udi's intellectual environment. Lunde and Stone provide a detailed reminder of the intellectual environment in which al-Mas‘udi lived: He lived at a time when books were readily available and relatively cheap. Aside from large public libraries in major towns like Baghdad, many individuals, like Mas‘udi's friend al-Suli, had private libraries, often containing thousands of volumes. The prevalence of books and their low price was the result of the introduction of paper to the Islamic world by Chinese papermakers captured at the Battle of Talas in 751. Very soon afterwards there were paper mills in most large towns and cities. The introduction of paper coincided with the coming to power of the Abbasid dynasty, and there is no doubt that the availability of cheap writing material contributed to the growth of the Abbasid bureaucracy, postal system and lively intellectual life. [7] They note that Mas‘udi often encourages his readers to consult other books he has written, expecting these to be accessible to his readership. They also note the stark contrast between contemporary European conditions confronting say the author of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and this highly literate Islamic world. Ahmad Shboul mentions the rich blend of Greek philosophy, Persian literature, Indian mathematics and the rich heritage of the ancient cultures that went into the vigorous life of the day. [8] This enabled the society of the day to manifest a knowledge seeking, perceptive and analytical attitude. There was a natural association of scholarly minded people in this highly civilized atmosphere, and al-Mas‘udi very much took part in this energizing activity. Al-Mas‘udi was a pupil or junior colleague of a number of prominent intellectuals, including the philologists al-Zajjaj, ibn Duraid, Niftawayh and ibn Anbari. He was acquainted with famous poets, including Kashajim, whom he probably met in Aleppo. He was well read in philosophy, knowing the works of al-Kindi and al-Razi, the Aristotelian thought of al-Farabi and the Platonic writings. Al-Mas‘udi's extant writings do not confirm his meeting with his contemporaries al-Razi and al-Farabi, however such meetings were highly likely. He does record his meeting with al- Farabi's pupil Yahya ibn Adi, of whom he spoke highly. In addition he was familiar with the medical work of Galen, with Ptolemaic astronomy, with the geographical work of Marinus and with the studies of Islamic geographers and astronomers. He indicates training in jurisprudence. He met a number of influential jurists and was aware of the work of others. Subki states that al-Mas‘udi was a student of ibn Surayj, the leading scholar of the Shafi'ite school. Al-Subki claimed he found al-Mas‘udi's notes of ibn Surayj's lectures. Al- Mas‘udi also met Shafi'ites during his stay in Egypt. He met Zahirites in Baghdad and Aleppo such as Ibn Jabir and Niftawayh; modern scholarship leans toward the view that Al-Mas‘udi was an adherent of the latter school. [9] Al-Mas‘udi knew leading Mu'tazilites, including al-Jubba, al-Nawbakhti, ibn Abdak al-Jurjani and Abu'l Qasim al-Balkhi al-Ka'bi. He was also well acquainted with previous Mu'tazilite literature. His reasoning, his phraseology, his expressed high esteem for Mu'tazilities could suggest that he was one of their number. However, Shboul points out that his extant works do not specifically state that he was. Al-Mas‘udi included the history of the ancient civilizations that had occupied the land upon which Islam later spread. He mentions the Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians and Persians among others. He is also the only Arab historian to refer (albeit indirectly) to the kingdom of Urartu, when he speaks about the wars between the Assyrians (led by the legendary Queen Semiramis) and Armenians (led by Ara the Beautiful). [10] Persia was a vast empire with a history that was already ancient before the arrival of Islam. Al-Mas‘udi was aware of the influence of ancient Babylon on Persia. He had access to a wealth of translations by scholars such as ibn al-Muqaffa from Middle Persian into Arabic. In his travels he also personally consulted Persian scholars and Zoroastrian priests. He thus had access to much material, factual and mythical. Like all other Arabic historians he was unclear on the Achaemenid dynasty, though he knew of Kurush (Cyrus the Great). He was much clearer on the more recent dynasties and his estimation of the time between Alexander the Great and Ardashir is much more accurately depicted than it is in al-Tabari. His wide ranging interests included the Greeks and the Romans. Again, like all other Arabic historians, he was unclear on Greece before the Macedonian dynasty that produced Alexander the Great. He is aware that there were kings before this, but is unclear on their names and reigns. He also seems unfamiliar with such additional aspects of Greek political life as Athenian democratic institutions. The same holds for Rome prior to Caesar. He is, though, the earliest extant Arabic author to mention the Roman founding myth of Romulus and Remus. In al-Mas‘udi's view the greatest contribution of the Greeks was philosophy. He was aware of the progression of Greek philosophy from the pre- Socratics onward. He also was keenly interested in the earlier events of the Arabian peninsula. He knew this area had a long history. He was well-aware of the mixture of interesting facts in pre-Islamic times, in myths and controversial details from competing tribes and even referred to the similarity between some of this material and the legendary and story telling contributions of some Middle Persian and Indian books to the Thousand and One Nights . [ citation needed ] Travels in lands beyond Islam. Ahmad Shboul notes that al-Mas‘udi is distinguished above his contemporaries for the extent of his interest in and coverage of the non-Islamic lands and peoples of his day. Other authors, even Christians writing in Arabic in the Caliphate, had less to say about the Byzantine Empire than al- Mas‘udi. He also described the geography of many lands beyond the Caliphate, as well as the customs and religious beliefs of many peoples. His normal inquiries of travelers and extensive reading of previous writers were supplemented in the case of India with his personal experiences in the western part of the subcontinent. He demonstrates a deep understanding of historical change, tracing current conditions to the unfolding of events over generations and centuries. He perceived the significance of interstate relations and of the interaction of Muslims and Hindus in the various states of the subcontinent. He described previous rulers in China, underlined the importance of the revolt by Huang Chao in the late Tang dynasty, and mentioned, though less detailed than for India, Chinese beliefs. His brief portrayal of Southeast Asia stands out for its degree of accuracy and clarity. He surveyed the vast areas inhabited by Turkic peoples, commenting on what had been the extensive authority of the Khaqan, though this was no longer the case by al- Mas‘udi's time. He conveyed the great diversity of Turkic peoples, including the distinction between sedentary and nomadic Turks. He spoke of the significance of the Khazars and provided much fresh material on them. His account of the Rus is an important early source for the study of Russian history. Again, while he may have read such earlier Arabic authors as ibn Khurradad, ibn al-Faqih, ibn Rusta and ibn Fadlan, al-Mas‘udi presented most of his material based on his personal observations and contacts made while traveling. He informed the Arabic reader that the Rus were more than just a few traders. They were a diverse and varied collection of peoples. He noted their independent attitude, the absence of a strong central authority among them and their paganism. He was very well informed on Rus trade with the Byzantines and on the competence of the Rus in sailing merchant vessels and warships. He was aware that the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea are two separate bodies of water. His Kuhsabin were probably Kashubians. Al-Mas'udi was also very well informed about Byzantine affairs, even internal political events and the unfolding of palace coups. He recorded the effect of the westward migration of various tribes upon the Byzantines, especially the invading Bulgars. He spoke of Byzantine relations with western Europe. And, of course, he was attentively interested in Byzantine-Islamic relations. One example of Al-Mas‘udi's influence on Muslim knowledge of the Byzantine world is that the use of the name Istanbul (in place of Constantinople) can be traced to his writings during the year 947, centuries before the eventual Ottoman use of this term. He writes that the Greeks (i.e. the Byzantines of the tenth century) call it "the City" (bulin in the Arabic script, which lacks the letter p: so Greek polin); "and when they wish to express that it is the capital of the Empire because of its greatness they say Istan Bulin. They do not call it Constantinople. It is only Arabs who so designate it". [12] A present-day analogy would be the use of the phrases "I am going Downtown" or "I am going into the City" by those who live near say Chicago or London respectively. He has some knowledge of other peoples of eastern and western Europe, even far away Britain. He names it, though he is sketchy about it. He knows Paris as the Frankish capital. He obtained a copy of a list of Frankish rulers from Clovis to his own time. Al-Mas‘udi's global interest included Africa. He was well aware of peoples in the eastern portion of the continent (mentioning interesting details of the Zanj, for example). He knows less of West Africa, though he names such contemporary states as Zagawa, Kawkaw and Ghana. He described the relations of African states with each other and with Islam. He provided material on the cultures and beliefs of non-Islamic Africans. In general his surviving works reveal an intensely curious mind, a universalist eagerly acquiring as extensive a background of the entire world as possible. The geographical range of his material and the reach of his ever inquiring spirit is truly impressive. Al-Mas‘udi and the Abbasids. Lunde and Stone have provided the English reader with a fluent translation of some three quarters of al-Mas‘udi's material on the Abbasids from the Muruj al-dhahab . This is in the form of more than two hundred passages, many of these containing amusing and informative anecdotes. The very first one recounts the meeting of al-Mansur and a blind poet unaware of the identity of his distinguished interlocutor. The poet on two separate occasions recites praise poems for the defeated Umayyads to the Abbasid caliph; al-Mansur good naturedly rewards him. There is the tale (p. 28 ff.) of the arrow that landed at al-Mansur's feet with verses inscribed in each of the three feathers and along the shaft causing him to investigate the unjust imprisonment of a distinguished notable from Hamadan. There is the story of the singer Harun al-Rashid asks to keep singing until the caliph falls asleep. Then a handsome young man arrives, snatches the lute from the singer's hand and shows him how it really should be done. On awakening Harun is told of this and suggests his singer had a supernatural visitation. Al-Mas‘udi quotes the lines (five in English) of this remarkable song. These anecdotes provide glimpses of other aspects of these prominent people, sharing, actually, greater realization of their humanity and the human concerns of their officials and ordinary subjects. One of the more interesting passages is the account of the symposium held at the home of Harun al-Rashid's famous vizier Yahya the Barmakid on the topic of love. A dozen leading thinkers provide their definition of love and then a thirteenth, a Magian judge, speaks at greater length on that theme. At-Tanbih wa-l-'Ashraf. . whose title translates to The Book of Admonition and Revision ,( ﻛﺘﺎب اﻟﺘﻨﺒﯿﮫ واﻷﺷﺮاﻓﻦ ) Al-Mas‘udi also wrote the Kitab at-Tanbih wa-l-'Ashraf This work is an abridgment of the Muruj adh-Dhahab about one-fifth its length, though containing new material on the Byzantines. It was finished shortly before his death. Editions, translations and influence. A complete French translation of The Meadows of Gold was published along with the Arabic text in Paris by the Societe Asiatique in nine volumes between 1861 and 1877. Barbier de Meynard and Pavet de Courteille were the French translators for this edition. A century later, between 1966 and 1974, Charles Pellat revised the Arabic text for a more accurate edition published in five volumes by the Universite Libanaise in Beirut. Pellat also began revising the French translation. Lunde and Stone's English translation of material on the Abbasids appeared in 1989. Ahmad Shboul notes some of the impact the French translation had on European intellectuals. [13] Ernest Renan compared al-Masudi to the second century A.D. Greek writer Pausanias. Others compared the Arab author to the Roman writer Pliny the Elder. Even before al-Masudi's work was available in a European language, orientalists had compared him to Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian called "The Father of History." Shboul finds such comparisons to the very best in Europe's Classical past very interesting. Reputation. Sunnis do not rely upon al-Mas‘udi due to his Shi‘i and Mu'tazili influences. For example, Ibn Hajar writes about al-Mas‘udi that "His books are imprecise because he was a Shi‘a, a Mu'tazili.". [14] Adh-Dhahabi [15] and Taj al-Din as-Subki also confirmed that he was a Mu'tazili. [16] In fact, he is considered to be of Shi‘i thought by the following: Aga Buzurg al-Tehrani in Mawsu'a al-Dhari'a ila Tasanif al-Shi'a Isma'il al-Baghdadi in Hadya al-'Arifeen Bahr al-'Uloom in al-Fawa'id al-Rijalia Al-Hilli in Khulasa al-Aqwal Al-Najashi in his book on Rijal Al-Tafrashi in Naqd al-Rijal Al-'Amli in Amal al-Aamal Al-Barujardi in Tara'if al- Maqal [17] His description of Sistan (Iran) " . is the land of winds and sand. There are wind drives mills and raises water from the streams, whereby gardens are irrigated. There is in the world, and God alone knows it, no place where more frequent use is made of the winds (947 AD.)". [18]