Zakariya al-Qazwini, a polymath born in 1203 in Qazvin, Iran, compiled vast knowledge concerning cosmography and geography during the 13th century. His professional life spanned several roles, including naturalist, mathematician, historian, and judge, as he navigated the shifting political landscape of the Abbasid Caliphate and the subsequent Mongol conquest of the region.
Early Education and Migration
Born into a family of Muslim jurists, Qazwini received a legal education before fleeing Qazvin in 1220 to escape a Mongol campaign. He relocated to Mosul, where he spent two decades studying mathematics, astronomy, and geography. During this period, he engaged with scholars such as the geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi and the historian Ibn al-Athir, which informed his later encyclopedic approach to recording knowledge.
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Upon moving to Wasit, near Baghdad, Qazwini served as a professor at the al-Madrasa al-Sharabiyya. He held the position of chief qadi under Al-Musta'sim, the final Abbasid Caliph. Following the 1258 Siege of Baghdad and the rise of the Ilkhanate, Qazwini maintained his scholarly work and legal roles, ultimately dying in 1283 at approximately 80 years old.
Cosmographical and Geographical Works
Qazwini is noted for his major treatises, 'Āthār al-Bilād wa-Akhbār al-ʻIbād' and 'ʿAjā'ib al-makhlūqāt wa gharā'ib al-mawjūdāt'. The latter, written between 1219 and 1258, organizes the universe into celestial and terrestrial realms. It classifies earthly existence into humans, beasts, and lapids.
Fast facts
- Born: 1203, Qazvin
- Died: 1283, Baghdad
- Occupations: judge, naturalist, mathematician, historian, qadi, zoologist, geographer
- Religion: Islam
- Language: Arabic
- Major works: Āthār al-Bilād wa-Akhbār al-ʻIbād and ʿAjā'ib al-makhlūqāt wa gharā'ib al-mawjūdāt
Questions readers ask
What subjects did Zakariya al-Qazwini study in Mosul?
He studied mathematics, astronomy, religion, philosophy, and geography.
What is the primary focus of Wonders of the Creation?
It explores the universe by categorizing celestial forms and terrestrial entities, including man, beasts, and lapids.
Achievements
- Notable work: Āthār al-Bilād wa-Akhbār al-ʻIbād
- Notable work: ʿAjā'ib al-makhlūqāt wa gharā'ib al-mawjūdāt
- Fields of research: cosmography, geography and natural science
