Al-Idrisi's World Map

The Nuzhat al-mushtāq fī ikhtirāq al-āfāq, most commonly known in the West as the Tabula Rogeriana ("The Book of Roger" in Latin), is a manuscript created by the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi that contains a highly detailed, partial-world map and extensive descriptions of the seven climate zones represented on the map. Depicting the Eurasian continent and North Africa, Al-Idrisi's map is orientated from north to south so the northern portion of Africa appears at the top of the map. Commissioned by Roger II, the Norman King of Sicily, in 1138, the manuscript was not completed until 1154.