Through his descriptions, europeans formed an image of timbuktu as an exotic, mysterious, ancient, and inaccessible locale, making it the subject of fantasy and legend for years to come. Leo africanus, traveler whose writings remained for some 400 years one of europes principal sources of information about islam. Thus wrote leo africanus, in his fortieth year, in this imaginary autobiography of the famous geographer, adventurer, and scholar hasan alwazzan, who was born in granada in 1488. To ask other readers questions about leo africanus, please sign up. Leo africanus article about leo africanus by the free. All these elements make alwazzan or leo africanus a character close to legend, which led some orientalists to question the credibility of his life, works, and manuscripts, especially his book. Leo africanus and the rewriting of history from below. Born a muslim called hasan alwazzan in the 1480s, he became a christian called leo africanus. This is a paper originally published in alandalusmagreb.
The book was dictated in italian by leo africanus, the famed moorish traveler. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The life and travels of leo africanus quintus curtius. While in rome, he wrote the first trilingual dictionary latin, arabic and hebrew, as well as his celebrated description of africa, for. 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. Leo africanus description of west africa 1500 leo africanus. Learn about his life, the morocco that was and the morocco that is today. Joannes leo africanus was a berber andalusi diplomat and author who is best known for his book descrittione dellafrica description of africa centered on the. History and description of africa 1526 leo africanus introduction alhassan ibnmuhammad alwazzan alfasi, better known as leo africanus, was probably born in the 1460s in granada, the last muslim toehold in spain, but was raised in fez in modern morocco. Title page of leo africanuss description of africa, published in 1550. The history and description of africa v1 the history and description of africa v1 by africanus, leo author jan172007 paperback. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Leo africanus was an earlysixteenthcentury traveler who recorded in great detail the life of many remote african kingdoms. Moorish man of learning is a brief introduction to leo.
Book from the collections of harvard university language english volume 1. The book was first written in 1550 by a moorish traveller and linguistic scholar known as. Aug 31, 2016 joannes leo africanus, was a berber andalusi diplomat and author who is best known for his book descrittione dellafrica describing the geography of north africa. Description of africa, a largely firsthand geographical book, which was published under the title della descrittione dellafrica et delle cose notabili che ivi 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. While in rome, he wrote the first trilingual dictionary latin, arabic and hebrew, as well as his celebrated description of africa, for which he is still remembered as leo africanus. The history and description of africa africanus, leo on. The description of africa by leo africanus historywiz. Hasan and his family were forced to flee to fez, where he grew up and became a very welloff.
Ibn alwazzan, known to the west as leo africanus or leo the african, is the writer of description of africa, an authoritative early modern account of north african geography which was. This summary of leo africanus includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. He was captured by a sicilian pirate and taken back to rome as a gift to pope leo x, who baptized him johannes leo. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read leo africanus. Oct 27, 2011 born a muslim called hasan alwazzan in the 1480s, he became a christian called leo africanus. In 1986, the lebanesefrench author amin maalouf published leo. Before which is prefixed a generall description of africa, and a particular treatise of all the lands undescribed. Leo africanuss geographical history of africa the british library. Leo africanus and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Therefore it need a free signup process to obtain the book.
History and description of africa 1526 leo africanus. Hasan and his family were forced to flee to fez, where he grew up and became a very welloff merchant. The paperback of the the history and description of africa. Leo africanus is a 1986 novel written in french by amin maalouf, depicting the life of a historical renaissanceera traveler, leo africanus. Cambridge core historical geography the history and description of africa by leo africanus edited by robert brown. The book was first written in 1550 by a moorish traveller and. The history and description of africa by leo, africanus, ca. The history and description of africa by leo africanus. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from christopher columbus to sir francis drake, and covering voyages to the new world, to china and japan, to. Iago talks of the free and open nature that makes othello think men honest. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. It has been restored by human beings, page by page, so that you may enjoy it in a form as close to the original as possible. The first series, which ran from 1847 to 1899, consists of 100 books containing published or previously unpublished works by authors from christopher columbus to sir francis drake, and covering voyages to the new world, to china and japan, to russia and to africa and india.
Cambridge core historical geography the history and description of africa by leo africanus edited by robert brown skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Click download or read online button to get leo africanus book now. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. In his description of african people, leo takes pains to give a balanced. The history and description of africa and of the notable. A geographical historie of africa 1600 was the authoritative work on the geography of africa at the time and was significant in shaping the idea of africa for early modern europeans.
Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. For several years he traveled up and down the length of italy, perfecting his mastery of italian. Johannes leo africanus and the recorded legacy of timbuktu. A geographical historie of africa, written in arabicke and italian. The name by which leo is known today, leo africanus leo the african, stems from his reputation for writing the definitive european book on africa. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. Leo africanus by amin maalouf overdrive rakuten overdrive. Leo africanuss geographical history of africa the british. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of leo africanus by amin maalouf. Jul 19, 20 the history and description of africa africanus, leo on.
He was a 16th century historian, diplomat, author and a prolific adventurer. He became a christian, adopting the name johannes leo, and taught arabic in rome. Ibn alwazzan, known to the west as leo africanus or leo the african, is the writer of description of africa, an authoritative early modern account of. University of california and uploaded to the internet archive by user tpb. When leo x died in 1521, leo africanus found himself without an advocate in high places, and he realized it was time to lie low for a while. For other uses, see description of africa disambiguation. Leo africanus download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. This book, the history and description of africa, by leo africanus, is a replication of a book originally published before 1896. Joannes leo africanus, was a berber andalusi diplomat and author who is best known for his book descrittione dellafrica describing the geography of. Born alhassan ibn muhammad alwizzaa alfasi, leo africanus was a native of granada, spain, and was educated in morocco. The history and description of africa by leo africanus, 9781108012881, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. It is also thought to have influenced shakespeare in his depiction of othellos virtues and vices who was the moorish author.
As a young man he traveled all over north africa and west africa on trade and diplomatic missions with his father, visiting the songhai empire in 151515. In about 1494, leo africanus was born in granada, a city at the foot of the sierra nevada. It is also thought to have influenced shakespeare in his depiction of othellos virtues and vices. Leo africanus14851554 traveler sourcesspanish muslim. Despite his political instincts which favor an ottoman victory that would free granada. The publications of the hakluyt society founded in 1846 made available edited and sometimes translated early accounts of exploration. The history and description of africa by leo africanus, 9781108012904, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Since very little is actually known about his life, the book fills in the historical episodes, placing leo in the company of many of the key historical figures of his time, including three popes, leo x, adrian vi, and pope clement vii, two ottoman. Description of africa, a largely firsthand geographical book, which was published under the title. Little is actually known of the early life of leo except that. The history and description of africa and of the notable things therein contained volume 1 of the history and description of africa. The the history and description of africa 3 volume paperback set the history and description of africa. His work, the history and description of africa and of the notable things therein contained, was translated from arabic for the first time into latin in 1526.