Al-Idrisi’s Norman Kingdom in the South : : The Book of Roger in Translation / / ed. by Ahmed Fatima Kzzo, Matt King, Sherif Abdelkarim, Katherine Jacka.

• HerausgeberIn: Abdelkarim, Sherif,; Jacka, Katherine,; King, Matt,; Kzzo, Ahmed Fatima,
• Place / Publishing House: Leeds : : ARC Humanities Press, , [2024]; ©2024
• Year of Publication: 2024
• Language: English
• Series: ARC - Foundations
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (174 p.)

The Book of Roger is a twelfth-century Arabic geographical treatise commissioned by King Roger II of Sicily and compiled by the Muslim polymath al-Idrisi. On its completion in around 1157 it was the most detailed description of the known world produced up to that point. This translation covers Sicily, the seat of King Roger’s government, along with the other parts of the Norman kingdom in the South: southern Italy, the Adriatic, and Ifriqiya, as well as the book’s preface. Presented in English translation for the first time this text offers insight into Roger’s motivation in commissioning such an endeavour, and the relationship between king and scholar. A comprehensive introduction explores what this important work tells us about the Norman kingdom in the South in the Middle Ages, while a series of detailed maps will enhance the reader’s appreciation of the richness of al-Idrisi’s data.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS -- Introduction THE LIFE, TIMES, AND WORKS OF AL-IDRISI -- KITAB NUZHAT AL-MUSHTAQ FI IKHTIRAQ AL-AFAQ THE BOOK OF PLEASURE FOR THOSE WHO DESIRE TO VISIT FARAWAY PLACES TRANSLATION -- Preface of the Nuzhat al-Mushtaq -- CLIME THREE, PART ONE (Partial) -- CLIME THREE, PART TWO -- CLIME FOUR, PART TWO -- CLIME FOUR, PART THREE -- CLIME FIVE, PART TWO (Partial) -- CLIME FIVE, PART THREE -- SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY -- INDEX OF PLACENAMES