Feature: How Did Arabs Travel Around Before Maps?

Library > Community Presentations

Presenter: Noor Lozi

Delivered: London on August 20, 2017

Noor Lozi was interested in knowing how Arabs used to navigate the desert before the creation of maps, and discovered the importance of the Islamic Empire’s contribution to navigation tools, namely the astrolabe. In this afikra feature, Noor then looks at how, by being able to travel and master the art of navigation, the first world maps were created.

Sources & Future References

• The Astrolabe: Ancient Analog Computer with 1K Apps | Marcha's Two-Cents Worth

• The Story of the Astrolabe, the Original Smartphone | Smithsonian Magazine

• Using an Astrolabe - Muslim Heritage

• Arab and Islamic Astronomy

• Saudi Aramco World : Mapping Arabia

• Navigation - Cities of Light

• The Unpublished Works of Arabic Geography: An Overview and a Classification - Muslim Heritage

• Saudi Aramco World : Al-Idrisi And Roger’s Book

• Saudi Aramco World : The Astrolabe: A User’s Guide

Note: All community presentations are prepared & presented by non-experts on the subject. They are sharing information in the hopes of spurring interest in that subject.

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About Afikra Community Presentations

Delivered and prepared by afikra Community members, the presentation’s goal is to showcase the presenter’s curiosity and research, and share some knowledge on a ‎topic related to the Arab world’s histories and cultures. The presentation is the ‎culmination of the afikra coaching process to help identify a topic, find research, and develop the ‎presentation. afikra presentations come in two forms, a long question-driven afikra Feature, and a short afikra FWD with the purpose of sharing something interesting.