Maps Drawn During the Abbasid Period: An Overview

The History of maps is ancient. Cartography or Maps drawn is defined as the science and art of making maps or geographical representations showing spatial concepts at various scales. Maps convey geographic information about a place and can be useful in understanding topography, weather and culture, depending upon the type of map. Early forms of cartography were practiced on clay tablets and cave walls. Today, maps can show a plethora of information. Modern Cartography began with the advent of a variety of technological advancements. The invention of tools like the compass, telescope, the sextant, quadrant and printing press all allowed for maps to be made more easily and accurately. And behind these modern developments, the dedication, hard work, continuous pursuit of knowledge and discoveries of Muslim geographers, sailors and travelers of the Abbasid period are considered the foundation. Since ancient times, people have been using maps to describe places, land and various features of the world. Cartography underwent an important development during the Abbasid period. Muslim geographers improved cartography by gathering knowledge from Greek, Indian and other traditions. The invention of paper made cartography more accessible. Famous geographers such as al-kindi, Ibn Hawqal, al-Idrisi and al-Biruni etc contributed to cartography during the Abbasid period. Muslim geographers used knowledge of astronomy, mathematics and geometry to map the shape, size and various regions of the world. They not only compiled existing knowledge but also invented new methods and techniques to create new maps. Thus the history of maps has evolved through many evolutions to its present form. It`s an important part of human knowledge and experience, which helps in understanding space, land and the world.