- Leo Africanus
Joannes Leo Africanus was the Latin name of Hasan ibn Muhammed al-Wazzan al-Fasi (
Granada 1488? – 1554?). Africanus was born inGranada . His family left that city some time after the Christian conquest of the Muslim kingdom in 1492.The family settled in Fez, now in
Morocco , where Leo studied at theUniversity of Al Karaouine . As a young man he accompanied his uncle on a diplomatic mission in theMaghreb , reaching as far as the city ofTimbuktu (c. 1510), then part of theSonghai Empire . While still a young man, he was captured by Europeanpirate s somewhere in theMediterranean (either on the island ofDjerba orCrete ), and sold into slavery. Presented toPope Leo X , he wasbaptized in 1520 [. He took the names Joannes Leo (Latin), Giovanni Leone (Italian), and Yuhanna al-Asad (Arabic).] and freed. The Pope, recognizing his abilities, asked him to put together a survey of his knowledge of the continent ofAfrica . For many years he was the only known source of information on Sudan. Leo taughtArabic inRome .At the time he visited the city of
Timbuktu , it was somewhat past its peak, but still a thrivingIslam ic city famous for its learning. Timbuktu was to become a byword inEurope as the most inaccessible of cities, but at the time Leo visited, it was the center of a busy trade carried on by traders inAfrica n products,gold , printedcotton s and slaves, and in Islamic books. Leo is said to have died in 1554 inTunis , having reconverted toIslam .Most of Leo's life is a mystery, and can only be gleaned from references in his book, "
Cosmographia Dell’ Africa (Description of Africa )".In fiction
A fictionalized account of his life, "Leo Africanus", by
Amin Maalouf , fills in key gaps in the story and places Leo Africanus in all of the prominent events of his time.Notes
External links
* [http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200801/a.man.of.two.worlds.htm A man of two worlds] by Tom Verde
* [http://baheyeldin.com/history/leo-africanus.html Biography: Leo Africanus - Hassan Ibn Muhammad Al Wazzan Al Fasi]
* [http://www.said-hajji.com/en/book-leo.html Hassan Al Wazzan aka Leo Africanus]Persondata
NAME= Africanus, Joannes Leo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= al-Wazzan al-Fasi, Hasan bin Muhammed
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Saadi author
DATE OF BIRTH=1488?
PLACE OF BIRTH=Granada, Spain
DATE OF DEATH=1554?
PLACE OF DEATH=Tunis, Tunisian Republic
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