Ali al-Masudi

Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Mas‘udi
Title	al-Mas'udi
Born	282-283 AH AD 896 Baghdad
Died	Jumadi ul-Thani, 345 AH September, AD 956 Cairo
Era	Islamic golden age
Religion	Islam
Creed	Iraqi school
Main interest(s)	History and Geography
Notable work(s)	Muruj adh-dhahab wa ma'adin al-jawhar (“The Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems”) at-Tanbih wa-l-'Ashraf ("Admonition and Revision")

Al-Mas‘udi (Arabic: أبو الحسن علي بن الحسين بن علي المسعودي‎‎, Abu al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī al-Masʿūdī; c. 896–956) was an Arab historian and geographer. He is sometimes referred to as the Herodotus of the Arabs. Al-Mas‘udi was one of the first to combine history and scientific geography in a large-scale work, The Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems (Arabic: مروج الذهب ومعادن الجوهر‎‎, Muruj adh-dhahab wa ma'adin al-jawhar), a world history.

Al-Mas‘udi states that he was born in Baghdad and that he was a descendant of Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad. However, little else is known about his early years. He mentions his association with many scholars in the lands through which he travelled. However, most of what is known of him comes from his own works. Although Ahamd Shboul questions the full extent of al-Mas‘udi's travels, even his more conservative estimation is impressive:

Al-Mas‘udi's travels actually occupied most of his life from at least 303/915 to very near the end. His journeys took him to most of the Persian provinces, Armenia, Georgia and other regions of the Caspian Sea; as well as to Arabia, Syria and Egypt. He also travelled to the Indus Valley, and other parts of India, especially the western coast; and he voyaged more than once to East Africa. He also sailed on the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean and the Caspian.

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