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The (, lit. "The Excursion of One Eager to Penetrate the Distant Horizons"), commonly known in the West as the Tabula Rogeriana (lit. " The Book of Roger" in Latin), is an atlas commissioned by the Norman King Roger II in 1138 and completed by the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi in 1154. The atlas compiles 70 maps of the known world with associated descriptions and commentary of each specific location by Al-Idrisi.Houben, 2002, pp. 102–104.Ahmad, 1992, pp. 156–161.
Al-Idrisi's work was a significant departure from the "Atlas of Islam" tradition that preceded his work. The primary influence for Al-Idrisi's cartography can be found in Arabic translations of Ptolemy's Geography, which laid out many of the principles he utilized in his work. Al-Idrisi also derived map-making methods from the Balkhi school of Geography, a school which was founded during the 10th century in Baghdad under the Abbasid Caliphate. It was from this school that he drew the scientifically rigorous and anthropologically detailed information that he incorporated into the atlas' creation. He also used some instruments King Roger II created to help calculate and . This research process ultimately took some 15 years. In 1154, just a few weeks before the king died, Al-Idrisi completed his atlas, producing a book with 70 sectional maps and a silver disc engraved with the composite world map they formed. This would become known as the , as well as the Book of Roger. This disc was made in accordance with Al-Idrisi's calculations of the circumference of the earth, and would lead to the later creation of a silver globe with the same map engraved on it.
It calculated the circumference to be an error of less than 10 percentand it hinted at the concept of gravity. The different maps, when compiled together, made a rectangular map of the known world. In later editions, a smaller circular world map in which the south was drawn at the top and Mecca, at the center was added to the manuscript. Al-Idrisi's book came to be known as Kitab Rujar (Roger's Book). The original atlas and silver disc was destroyed in a rebellion headed by Matthew Bonnellus in 1160. The manuscript enjoyed wide popularity and use throughout the world. The medieval scholar Gabriel Sionita translated the book into Latin and printed it in Paris in 1619. The book was also translated into Spanish, German, Russian, Finnish, French, Italian, and Swedish. A total of 10 copies remain in various conditions, 5 of which are complete manuscripts. Two of these are currently stored at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France including the oldest, which dates to about 1325, (MS Arabe 2221). The discrepancies found between manuscripts from different locations are owed to the fact that al-Idrisi left multiple different drafts for the original work. Another copy, made in Cairo in 1553, is in the Bodleian Library in Oxford (Mss. Pococke 375). It was acquired in 1692. The most complete manuscript, which includes the world map and all seventy sectional maps, is kept in Istanbul.
Additionally, al-Idrisi created an abbreviated version of the book for Roger II's son, William II. This book, known as the "Little Idrisi," is still extant in multiple copies, and informs much of what scholars know today of al-Idrisi's original, extended work.Parry, James V. 2004. "Mapping Arabia." Saudi Aramco World. January/February 2004. Pages 20–37.
Additionally, Al-Idrisi's maps represented a shift in the philosophy of cartography. While the coordinates used were inaccurate by modern standards, they nonetheless illustrate that map-making was principally a scientific endeavor. Unlike previous cartographers, al-Idrisi aimed to be as accurate as possible and to provide as much reliable information about the various regions of the world, especially those contained in Roger II's realm. This contrasts heavily with prior Christian maps, which were solely based on the writings of the Bible. Islamic cartographers, while generally more accurate than their Christian counterparts, were still liable to use abstraction in their mapmaking. This made al-Idrisi's map one of a kind in its scope and ambitions, applying the techniques of the Balkhi School of Geography to an unprecedented scale and including detailed descriptions of all regions that it portrayed.
In the 19th century, the manuscript experienced renewed interest and popularity with the rise of orientalism and interest in the East. Orientalists widely reprinted the book. In 1799, in Madrid, Jose Antonio Conde reprinted the section on Andalusia in its original Arabic with a Spanish translation. In 1828, Rosen Muller reprinted the section on Greater Syria and Palestine in Leipzig. In 1864, Reinhart Dozy reprinted the section containing information about Morocco, Sudan, Egypt, and Andalusia in Leon. These maps were used in a variety of activities, ranging from display to being taught and studied.
On the work of al-Idrisi, S. P. Scott commented:
Ten manuscript copies of the Book of Roger currently survive, five of which have complete text and eight of which have maps. Two are in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, including the oldest, dated to about 1325. (MS Arabe 2221). Another copy, made in Cairo in 1553, is in the Bodleian Library in Oxford (Mss. Pococke 375). It was acquired in 1692. The Book of Roger, BBC Online. The most complete manuscript, which includes the world map and all seventy sectional maps, is kept in Istanbul.
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