Born 1100, Ceuta, Morocco
Died 1166, Sicily

Abu Abd-Allah Muhammed al-Sharif al-Idrisi was born in the North African city of Ceuta, once a part of Morocco (now ruled by Spain). He was a member of a noble Arab family that claimed descent from the Prophet Muhammad (c. 570–632), the founder of the Islamic religion. Idrisi’s ancestors had once ruled parts of southern Spain (around Malaga) and North Africa (the Fez region) until 1057, when they lost their power and fled to Morocco.

Begins life of travel

Information about Idrisi’s early life is brief. It is known that he lived in Marrakesh, Morocco, and Qustantinah, Algeria. He also lived and studied in the great Muslim center of Cordoba in southern Spain. In addition, he began—at around age sixteen—to travel throughout the Middle East between North Africa...