The Arab geographer Al-Idrīsī (Latinized Edrisi) was called to Palermo in 1145 by Roger II to write the famous Book of Roger and to work on the development of a 70-sheet world map called the Tabula Rogeriana. The original Tabula was made of silver. The manuscript, known as Kitāb Rugiār in Arabic, was completed in 1154. It contains a description of the then known world, divided into seven climatic zones, according to the Ptolemaic system and shows Europe, part of Asia and North Africa. For centuries, Edrisi’s project, which kept him busy for years, was considered to be the most reliable geographical study, as it contains numerous unpublished and unknown facts and detailed information. This information comes from direct knowledge, thanks to the numerous journeys he made, visiting the present-day states of France, Hungary, Portugal, England and, of course, North Africa, where he lived.
