Himyerî

Himyerî (full name Muhammed b. Abdülmün‘im es-Sinhâcî el-Himyerî, kunya Ebû Abdullah, also known as Ibn Abdülmün‘im; d. h. 900 / m. 1495), is one of the important figures in medieval Islamic geographical literature and an author known for his alphabetical geographical encyclopedia titled er-Ravżü’l-Miʿṭâr fî Ḫaberi’l-Âḳṭâr.

Life and Work

Although his birth date is unknown, it is estimated that he was born in Sebte (Ceuta). Himyerî, who belonged to an influential family, had the opportunity to receive a good education from an early age and passed away in h. 900 / m. 1495 (Volume 2, p. 46). The er-Ravżü’l-Miʿṭâr fî Ḫaberi’l-Âḳṭâr, written by the author and published by researcher Levi Provençal, was completed in h. 866 according to the findings of researcher İhsan Abbas (Volume 2, p. 46).

In the introduction to his book, Himyerî explains the reason for writing the work and his working method; he states that he wanted to prepare an alphabetical geographical encyclopedia so that students could easily find the places they wished to research. While preparing his work, he utilized the works of authors such as İbn İsḥâḳ, İbn Hişâm, Belâzürî, and Taberî (Volume 2, p. 46).

Records Regarding Kurds

The work contains many records concerning the geography inhabited by Kurds. Himyerî, when speaking of Kaşan, mentions that rugged mountains are found between the borders of Şehrezor and Amed, and also between the borders of Azerbaijan, Cezîre, and Musul, and that Kurds live in these areas. When discussing Kelar, one of the cities of Taberistan, he notes that Ekrad-ı Deylem live there, and that this community is courageous and skilled in horsemanship (Volume 2, p. 46).

Place Names and Cities

The author also includes narratives regarding the origin of place names. He states that Fars, in Persian, originally appears as Bars with a "b" and consists of ten centers, the most important of which are Sâbûr, İstahr, Ezdeşir, and Arcan (Volume 2, p. 65). He attributes the naming of Kirman to Kirmân, son of Felluc, from the sons of Lamtî, descendants of Yâfes, son of Nuh (Volume 2, p. 69). He writes that the name İsfahan was given in relation to İsbahan, son of Nuh (Volume 2, p. 88).

Himyerî's descriptions of cities are also included in the corpus. He introduces Nihavend as a large city built on a mountain; he describes that it has numerous buildings, as well as two mosques, one old and one new, an earthen fortress, and farms around it (Volume 2, p. 90). He speaks of the city of Erzen as a large city; he says that it has mountains as well as plains, and many bazaars along with large structures (Volume 2, p. 97). Some geographers, like Himyerî, consider Mardin, one of the famous cities of Cezîre, to be within Diyar-ı Rabîa (Volume 2, p. 104). However, sources also indicate that Himyerî confused the location of the city of Zencan (Volume 2, p. 87).

Rivers

The author's records regarding rivers demonstrate the geographical value of the work. Himyerî, along with Kazvinî, Ebü’l-Fidâ, and İbn el-Verdî, states that the source of the Tigris (Dicle) is near Âmid in Diyar-ı Bekr, and that these sources are located in a place known as Zülkarneyn Hisarı (Volume 2, p. 84). Information regarding the tributaries of the Tigris (Dicle) and the Zaps is also included in the work (Volume 2, p. 85).