Zakariya al-Qazwini



Zakariyya' al-Qazwini (full name: Abū Yaḥyā Zakariyyāʾ ibn Muḥammad ibn Maḥmūd al-Qazwīnī, أبو يحيى زكرياء بن محمد بن محمود القزويني), also known as Qazvini, (born c. 1203 in Qazvin, Iran and died 1283), was a cosmographer and geographer.

He belonged to a family of jurists originally descended from Anas bin Malik (a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad) which had been well established in Qazvin long before al-Qazwini was born.

His most famous work is the ʿAjāʾib al-makhlūqāt wa-gharāʾib al-mawjūdāt (lit. 'Wonders of the Creation and Unique [phenomena] of the Existence'), a seminal work in cosmography. He is also the author of the geographical dictionary Āthār al-bilād wa-akhbār al-ʿibād (lit. 'Monuments of the Lands and Historical Traditions about Their Peoples').

Career
Born in Qazvin, of either Persian or Arab ancestry, al-Qazwini served as a legal expert and judge in several localities in Iran. He traveled around in Mesopotamia and the Levant, and finally entered the circle patronized by the Ilkhanid governor of Baghdad, Ata-Malik Juvayni (d. 1283 CE).

It was to the latter that al-Qazwini dedicated his famous cosmography titled ʿAjāʾib al-makhlūqāt wa-gharāʾib al-mawjūdāt (lit. 'Wonders of the Creation and Unique [phenomena] of the Existence'). This treatise, frequently illustrated, was immensely popular and is preserved today in many copies. It was translated into his native Persian language, and later also into Turkish. Al-Qazwini was also well known for his geographical dictionary Āthār al-bilād wa-akhbār al-ʿibād (lit. 'Monuments of the Lands and Historical Traditions about Their Peoples'). Both of these treatises reflect extensive reading and learning in a wide range of disciplines.

Editions of the Arabic text

 * (edition of the Āthār al-bilād)
 * (edition of the ʿAjāʾib al-makhlūqāt wa-gharāʾib al-mawjūdāt)

Translations

 * (German translation of the ʿAjāʾib al-makhlūqāt wa-gharāʾib al-mawjūdāt)
 * (partial German translation of the ʿAjāʾib al-makhlūqāt wa-gharāʾib al-mawjūdāt)