A GIS Mapping of Al-Idrisi's Geographies of Sicily and Ifriqiya in The Book of Roger

This article analyzes the descriptions of Sicily and Ifriqiya found in Kitab Nuzhat al-Mushtaq fi Ikhtiraq al-Afaq (commonly called The Book of Roger ) by the Muslim polymath al-Idrisi. Using gis technology, it maps for the first time the totality of settlements—cities, villages, fortifications, and ports—under the control of the dynasty in these two regions. Alongside this geo-spatial analysis is a careful reading of the relevant sections of the Arabic text of The Book of Roger , which is used alongside geographical data to compare the rhetoric that al-Idrisi mobilized to describe Norman territories. This combined analysis shows that al-Idrisi adopted distinct language when discussing Norman possessions in Sicily and Ifriqiya, two regions that were ostensibly part of the same kingdom, but were otherwise quite different. Al-Idrisi is unabashed about the greatness of Norman rule in Sicily and describes the fruits of their rule across the island in a systematic account of inland and coastal settlements. Conversely, he expresses some reservation about the consequences of Norman rule along the coastline of Ifriqiya and sees this region as one in intractable decline, which is brought out in his narrative through the description of numerous forts ( qaṣūr ) along the coastline. This content within The Book of Roger shows the strategic value within this geography, which the Norman king Roger II patronized not merely as a testament to his intellectual curiosity, but as a systematic way for him to better understand lands under his possession and lands that he might one day hope to conquer.