MASUDI, m1-sr 'dc (Ar. AL-HASAS `ALT AL-))HAS'tilli ?-c.956). One of the most emi nent Arabian geographers and historians. He was born in Bagdad, descended from a distin guished family, one of whose members, Masod, was a companion of Mohammed on his flight to Medina. Masudi early devoted himself to pro found studies, to which he added by prolonged travels in Spain, Russia. and throughout the East. After traveling through Persia and Kir man he came in 904 to India. Ile next traveled to Multan and Mansura, thence to Ceylon, and proceeded east as far as China. To the north lie went to the Caspian district, and in 926 we find him in Palestine. In 9.13 he was at Antioch and two years later in Damascus. The rest of his life he spent in Syria and Egypt, dying at Fostat about 956. lie was a geographer, philos opher, student of religions, familiar with Juda ism and Christianity, and a historian acquainted with the ancient and modern history of the East and West, llis 1litdb Akbar al-Zaman contained a universal history in 30 volumes: his Kitab al-Ausaf, a short chronological Re count of the world's history. Masudi coin
Idned these Iwo in a more popular work called Aturaj al-Dhahab ("Meadows of Cold), in which he gives a general view of the political, religious, and social history of the most important Asiatie and European countries, as well as of their geography (ed. Bulak, 1866, Cairo, 1886; with French trans. by De Meynard and De Courteille, it vols.. Paris, vol. i. in English by .1. Sprenger. Lirmdon, 1841). A still more general work on history and geography was his K Huh al-To nbih (ed. De Goeje, Leyden. 1894; partially trans. by De Navy in Notes et Extraits, yon. viii. and in vol. ix. of the Freneh trans. of the Meadows). Another work• also palled .1111brir at-Zomfin, is falsely aseribed to him. Consult: Carra de Vans. 1:01/Yge des mei- Mg) ; Broekelmann, Cesrhichte der arahischen 1.1fteratar, i. r, I899),