← Notable Muslims

Al-Masudi

المَسْعُودِي

The Herodotus of the Arabs — founder of historical geography

Born: 896 CE, Baghdad
Died: 956 CE, Cairo
Era: Classical
Field: Geography, History
Origin: Baghdad, Iraq
Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Masudi was a 10th-century Arab historian, geographer and traveller who combined history, geography, natural science and philosophy in his encyclopedic works. Called the "Herodotus of the Arabs," he wrote about subjects including winds, geological change, animal migration and atmospheric phenomena.