Born c. 895,
Baghdad, present-day Iraq
Died 957,
Egypt

Al-Mas‘udi’s accounts of his travels provide valuable information about the geography, history, and local customs of the places he visited. A man of many interests, he also wrote about science, literature, philosophy, and religion. His book Muruj adh-Dhahab (“Meadows of Gold”) presents a history of the world from creation to 947 A.D; his 30-volume “History of Time” has been lost.

Travels in Persia

Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali al-Mas‘udi, a descendant of the prophet Mohammed, was born in Baghdad. Indirect evidence suggests that he was born around 895; the earliest date appearing in his own writings is 912, which he mentions when relating an anecdote about meeting an official of the Abbasid dynasty in Baghdad. By the year 915 he was traveling east...