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Book of Roger and World Map

Type Object Region Europe Time c. 1138

Idrisi's Arabic geography compiled under Roger II of Sicily, presented in 1154, with a sectional world map known as the Tabula Rogeriana.

Timeline

  1. c. 1138–1150Norman court of Palermo · SicilyIdrisi was brought to Palermo by Roger II, interviewing travelers, comparing Ptolemaic and Arabic geographical traditions, and possibly participating in making a silver world plan for the court. 1100–1150 was the main period of data collection and map drafting; the finished book came after this interval.
  2. 1154Norman court of Palermo · SicilyIn 1154 the Book of Roger was finalized and presented, containing systematic regional descriptions and a south-up world map. It placed Britain, Africa, and Asian coasts within one framework, reflecting Norman Sicily's status as a meeting point of Latin, Greek, and Arabic knowledge.
  3. 1301Mediterranean manuscript centers · MediterraneanThe original silver disc map was lost; the book and sectional maps survived through later Arabic manuscripts. Modern scholars reconstructed the circular world map from these, making it a standard reference in the history of medieval cartography.

Sources