HA URA L, ABU L KASEM MOHAMMED I BN, a celebrated Arabic traveller and geographer. The few particulars we possess coucerniug his life are derived from bia own work. From this we learn that he paid great atteution to the study of geography from his earliest years, and collected all the hooka he could obtain which treated of foreign nations; that partly with a view to obtain farther information, and partly to avoid the tyranny of the reigning sultan, and to improve his own fortuuu by trade, he set out from Baghdad, A.11. 331 (A.D. 942-3), in order to visit foreign countries. Ile does not tell us into what countries he travelled; but we leans from his own account that he was In Mesopotamia A.D. 358 (A.D. 966•9); in Africa A.11. 360 (A.D. 970I); in Sicily Ass 362 (A.D. 972-3); cud iu 3lcccs Ass 364 or 5 (e.n. 974.5 or 975.6).
Haukal's work ou geography is entitled 'A book of Roads and Kingdoms.' He states in tue preface that he composed the work to give a description of all the countries in which the Mohammedan religion prevailed, together with the revenue', natural productions, and commerce of each. After giving a general view of the earth, and a brief description of the nations which do not profess the Moham medan religion, he first describes Arabia, since it contains Mecca and the Caaha, and afterwards the seas and other couutries subject to Mohammedans. The description of each couutry is accompanied by a mop; but Abulfeda, who irequently quotes Huukal in his treatise on Geography, complains that the names are inaccurately spelled, and that the latitudes and longitudes are not put down in these maps.
Beast' mentions the names of other writers on Geography, from whom he derived great assistance; namely, Ibn Khordadbele Al Jihaul, and Abul Feraj Kodawa 1bn Jafar, whose works he always carried with him in his travels.
31auuecripte of 11aukal's work on geography are rarely met with even in the East ; there is a copy in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and another at Leyden. From the latter MS. Uyletibroeek has given an interesting account of the work iu his ' Imo= Persicre Descriptio; preetniewa at Diasertatio de lbu liankeli Geographi codico Lugonno Batavo • 4 to., Lug. Bat. 15'22 ; to which we are indebted for the greater part of preceding remarks.
Ouseley published, from what ho conceived to be a Persian trans latiou of tee Arabic of Ilaukal, a work entitled The Oricutal Geography of Ehn Ilaukal, a traveller of the 10th century; Lond. le00 ; and De Sacy gave a turtber account of this work in the Alagaain Encyclo p6dique; vu1. vi. pp. 32-76, 151.1e6, 307-333. But Uyleribroeck has shown, in the work already referred to, that the Persian treatise trans lated by Ocseley cannot be regarded as either e translation or an abridgement of the Arabic of Ilaukal, since, independently of other differences, it appears to have been written in the beginning of the 4th century of the hegira, while Ilauksre work was not composed till A.D. 366 or 367. But he considers it probable from many circum staucee that the retsina work was one of demo which Haukal made use of in compiling his Geography, and that it was written by Bin Khordadheli.