Mecca at the centre of the world; Silk Road exhibition, British Museum            https://flic.kr/p/2qrXpLn Scholars in the Islamic world contributed to geographical knowledge. This map was originally drawn by al-ldrisi (about 1 100-66) for the Christian king of Sicily, Roger ll (ruled 1130-54). It follows a tradition in Islamic mapmaking to have 'south' at the top, and Mecca, the focus of Muslim pilgrimage placed at the centre of the world. It illustrates Arabia's connection to the Mediterranean coastline, extending to the Iberian peninsula and eastward across the Indian Ocean reaching China. Cairo, Egypt. Original by al-ldrisi, about 1154; this version 1533 The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, MS.Pococke 375, folios 3b-4a [Text from exhibition label]

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Random pic 2 November 2025	01/11/25 23:31:00	Michael Ixer
Re:Random pic 2 November 2025	02/11/25 16:16:00	Ivonne Holliday

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