Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Warraq

For other people with this name, see Muhammad ibn Yusuf (disambiguation).

Muhammad ibn Yūsuf al-Warrāq (Arabic: محمد بن يوسف الورّاق) (* 904 in Guadalajara; † 973 or 974 in Córdoba) (in present-day Spain) was an Andalusían historian and geographer.^[1]

Muhammad ibn Yūsuf al-Warrāq
Personal life
Born	904 Guadalajara
Died	973 or 974 Córdoba
Era	Caliphate of Córdoba
Region	Al-Andalus
Main interest(s)	Islamic history, geography
Religious life
Religion	Islam

Life

He spent many years in Kairouan and returned to Cordoba during the reign of Caliph al-Hakam II.

Works

Al-Warrāq wrote for al-Hakam II a series of historical and geographical works on North Africa, none of which have survived whole, although many fragments of his extensive production are preserved in al-Bakri's Book of Roads and Kingdoms from one century later.^[2] From the extracts transcribed in al-Bakri's work relying on al-Warrāq, one can conclude that the latter was the first to mix geography and history. Any geographical subject is accompanied by its historical context and a detailed description.^[3] Ibn Hazm mentioned that his roots lay in the Berber tribal confederation of the Zenata.^[4]

See also

• Al-Bakri
• Zenata