In one of the previous issues, we covered Al-Khwarizmi’s impact on fields that go well beyond Algebra and Mathematics, proliferating into Geography.
The image represents Daunicht’s reconstruction of the section of al-Khwārizmī’s world map concerning the Indian Ocean. One of Khwarizmi’s major books was “Kitab Surat Al Ard” meaning “Book of the Description of the Earth”. This book was a major rework of Ptolemy’s 2nd-century Geography, consisting of a list of 2402 coordinates of cities and other geographical features. According to Wikipedia, “Al-Khwārizmī corrected Ptolemy’s gross overestimate for the length of the Mediterranean Sea from the Canary Islands to the eastern shores of the Mediterranean;”.
If someday you find yourself in the proximity to Strasbourg University Library, be sure to check the only surviving copy of Kitāb Ṣūrat al-Arḍ there.