Book of Roads and Kingdoms (al-Bakri) facts for kids

Book of Roads and Kingdoms (also called Book of Highways and Kingdoms) is an old book about geography. It was written a long time ago, in the 11th century, by a smart person named Abu Abdullah al-Bakri. The book's original name in Arabic is Kitāb al-Masālik wa'l-Mamālik.

What is the Book of Roads and Kingdoms?

This book is like an ancient travel guide. It describes different places, their geography, the people who lived there, their cultures, and how their governments worked. It's a very important book for understanding the world back then.

Who Wrote This Book?

The author was Abu Abdullah al-Bakri. He wrote the book in 1067 or 1068. He lived in a city called Córdoba, which was part of a region called al-Andalus (this is in present-day Spain).

How Was It Written?

Even though al-Bakri himself never left al-Andalus, he gathered information from many sources. He talked to traders who traveled a lot. He also read other important writings, like a book about North Africa by Muhammad ibn Yūsuf al-Warrāq. Another person he got information from was Ibrahim ibn Yaqub. Historians today trust al-Bakri's writings because his reports often match what is found in other old documents.

What's Inside the Book?

The Book of Roads and Kingdoms covers a huge area! It describes lands all the way from the Atlantic Ocean, across the Sahara desert, and into Central Africa. It tells us about the mountains, rivers, and deserts, but also about the different groups of people, their traditions, and how their leaders ruled.

Why Is It Important?

This book is very valuable for historians and anyone interested in the past. It gives us a peek into what the world was like almost a thousand years ago. Sadly, the Book of Roads and Kingdoms isn't complete today; only parts of it still exist. Sometimes, people get it mixed up with another book that has the same name, which was written earlier by Ibn Khordadbeh.