Ibn muhammad alwazzan, better known as joannes leo africanus, was born in the muslim kingdom of granada just a few years before it was. Born as alhasan ibn muhammad alwazzan alfasi in granada in the 1490s, hasan is forced into exile as a child after the spanish reconquista. The man with many names1 pekka masonen the sixteenthcentury andalusi adventurer leo africanus was a household name amidst european geographers for almost three centuries. Studienarbeit aus dem jahr 2009 im fachbereich geschichte afrika, note. Discovery and invention of the sudanese middle ages. Leo africanus is an epic travel journey seen from the eyes of our protagonist hasan who assumes many identities over 40 years of time period depicted in the book. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. The journey starts in al andalus before the fall of granada and winds its way through fez, timbuktu, cairo, constantinople, mecca, and rome amongst other cities. Although he criticizes the superficiality and multiple errors of leo africanus s account, masonen sees it as clearly marking the. For this work, leo became a household name among european geographers. This is a paper originally published in alandalusmagreb. In 1986, the lebanesefrench author amin maalouf published leo africanus, a historical. Such is the case with the titular moorish traveler in amin maaloufs 1986 book, leo africanus.
He was unanimously respected as the most authoritative source for the political and human geography of the barbary coast and sudanic. Fred spier university of amsterdam the negroland revisited. Papers for the third nordic conference on middle eastern studies, edited by mhammed sabour and knut s. Joannes leo africanus was a berber andalusi diplomat and author who is best known for his book descrittione dellafrica centered on the geography of the maghreb and nile valley. Download citation on jan 1, 2011, pekka masonen and others published leo africanus. The great west african empires of ghana, mali, and. This sets the tone for his life, as hes constantly on the move. He was unanimously respected as the most authoritative source for the political and human geography of the barbary coast and sudanic africa, until the beginning of european exploration and expansion in the african continent proved his knowledge outdated. Leo africanus wikipedia bahasa indonesia, ensiklopedia bebas. The book was dictated in italian by leo africanus, the famed moorish traveler and merchant who had been captured by pirates and sold as a slave. The history and description of africa and of the notable things therein contained.
As a young man he accompanied an uncle on a diplomatic mission to the maghreb, reaching as far as the city of timbuktu c. Leo africanus by amin maalouf meet your next favorite book. The sixteenthcentury andalusi adventurer leo africanus was a household name amidst european geographers for almost three centuries. It was translated into english in 1600 by john pory. Pekka masonen, transsaharan trade and the west african discovery of the mediterranean, in ethnic encounter and culture change.
Discovery and invention of the sudanese middle ages, helsinki. The second major study of leo africanus comes from a different part of the world. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of leo africanus by amin maalouf. Presented, along with his book, to pope leo x, he was baptized and freed. Discovery and invention of the sudanese middle age suomalaisen tiedeakatemian toimituksia. He has done extensive research on the life and travels of leo africanus, in particular as they relate to subsaharan africa.
Born wasan ibn muhammed alwazzan around 1490 in granada, spain, leo africanus time in granada was short lived. Over the centuries his book attracted the curiosity of readers and scholars in many. Leo africanus wikipedias leo africanus as translated by. A fictionalized account of his life, leo africanus, by the lebanesefrench author amin maalouf, fills in key gaps in the story and places leo africanus in all of the prominent events of his time. Books by pekka masonen all formats paperback sort by. It is held at the rare book collection of the library of congress g159. One feels inclined to mention immediately that the choice of a title for this book. Leo africanus project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks read. The historian pekka masonen has argued that the belief of his further travels was based on misreadings by modern scholars who interpreted his book as an itinerary. Leo africanus was born in granada in around 1494 but his family moved to fez soon after his birth. Leo africanus project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The book was first written in 1550 by a moorish traveller and linguistic scholar known as john leo africanus c.
Pdf leo africanus description of west africa 1500 leo africanus leo africanus description of west africa 1500 leo africanus leo africanus. The renaissance traveller leo africanus is well known as a source for. Masonen is a lecturer at the university of tampere, finland department of history. And so he was known in the european translations that soon appeared. The book was regarded among his scholarly peers in europe as the most authoritative treatise on the subject until the modern exploration of africa. Leo the african is that rare novel pride and prejudice, don quixote, candide from which the reader must travel. For leo, his family relocated to what we would consider today as modern day morocco. Discovery and invention of the sudanese middle ages suomalaisen tiedeakatemian toimituksia. The book was unanimously considered the most authoritative source for the. Only with the appearance in 1550 of description of africa, by the renegade moor leo africanus, did something resembling a west african geography and historiography begin to find a wide audience among european readers. Moorish man of learning is a brief introduction to leo.
Leo, whose name he took in baptism, suggested that he recast his arabic work in italian. Description of africa, a largely firsthand geographical book, which was published under the title della descrittione dellafrica et delle cose notabili che iui sono by giovanni battista ramusio in his collection of travellers accounts delle navigationi e viaggi in venice in 1550, contained the first detailed descriptions published in europe of the barbary coast modern morocco, algeria, and. A conquest over all muslims in the region meant that leo and his extensive family, as well as other muslims in the region, fled for safety. The book was regarded among his scholarly peers in europe as the most. The man with many names, lenn enlinenn fr massignon, louis. Doc leo africanus mediterranean hero bernardo piciche. The historian pekka masonen has argued that the belief of his further travels was based on misreadings by modern scholars who interpreted his book as an. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive.