Geography as a Shaping Element of Societies in Islamic Historiography: The Example of al-Mas‘ūdī

Zeynep Kaya Ünal

Makale detayları

Geography as a Shaping Element of Societies in Islamic Historiography: The Example of al-Mas‘ūdī

Yazarlar:

Zeynep Kaya Ünal

Yayıncı:

Hitit University

Ana Başlıklar:

İslam Tarihi

Dergi:

Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.23 Issue Din ve Coğrafya, pp.175-189

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001316462

pISSN:

2757-6949

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 When writing their works, Muslim historians have tended to start from the beginning of history, that is, from creation. In this way, the history of the universe was taken as the beginning of the history of humanity and connected to Islamic history together with the history of the prophets. Al-Masūdī, on the other hand, in the IVXth century, introduced the geography of the world with its land, seas, and waters, and produced a text that deals with history almost simultaneously with the ground on which it took place. This feature made the authors name mentioned among Islamic historians as well as geographers. However, al-Masūdīs approach to geography is quite different from that of a geographer. The author evaluated historical geography together with geographical history. He carefully recorded how the earth with its fauna and flora affected human history, how it shaped societies, and how societies in turn affected their environment. Carrying his research beyond the information he received from written sources, the scholar carefully examined and conveyed these features during his travels; he tried to enlighten the issues he was curious about or doubted by discussing them with locals, merchants and sailors. In this way, the information he obtained through observations and inquiries sometimes surpassed the written sources. In this way, he created a human-centered historiography by studying human geography. This article aims to classify the effects that emerged as a result of mans relationship with the geography of the earth based on al-Masūdīs narrative in his extant works al-Murūj al-zeheb and al-Tanbīh wal-ishrāf. Thus, the cultural differences of societies in terms of basic needs such as nutrition and shelter, as well as the effects of activities such as the domestication of animals and acclimatization of plants on human history will be identified in the authors historiography. In this way, the contributions of treating geography as an element of historical narrative to the field of historiography will be indicated, and it will be seen that al-Masūdīs pioneering approach allows us to look at history from a different perspective. For this purpose, first of all, the description of the earths position in the universe as conveyed in the authors works will be explained. For al-Masūdī stated that the earth was composed of four elements, which are fire, air, water, and earth, in accordance with the prevailing scientific approach of his time, but he also pointed to the distance of celestial spheroids from these lowly materials of the sublunar realm. He is also aware that the celestial bodies are the main factor in the formation of the seasons on earth. When it comes to the authors description of the earth, it is seen that he relies on the Iranian kishvar system. Accordingly, the center of the earth is the climate of BabylonIraq, the region where al-Masūdī was born and spent the first years of his life. The settled geography of the world is depicted with six climates surrounding this climate. The fact that al-Masūdī is not satisfied with these descriptions and distinguished himself by applying the theoretical knowledge to all living things on earth, humans, animals and plants, is seen in the information he gives about the effect of geography on living life. The authors geographical determinism explains precisely how each climatic region affects the life on it with its unique characteristics. This effect manifests itself not only physically, such as the change in the color of peoples skin, but also in the change of their mental state or the emergence of diseases. Therefore, according to the author, understanding the characteristics of a region also provides enough information to explain many of the material and spiritual conditions of the people of that climate. Although al-Masūdī compiled these explanations mainly from written sources, he used both his own observations and the information he acquired through his investigations to substantiate them. Therefore, as seen in the centrality of the Babylonian climate, he considered his own region and society as the main one, and explained this with reasons that he found quite justifiable. The authors reference point is the most moderate region and the most moderate society, namely the Iraqi region and its people. Therefore, al-Masūdī is placed at the center of his narrative not only as the author but also because he originated in the most moderate point of the world. The elements briefly mentioned here show that al-Masūdīs contributions to Islamic historiography as a historian are linked to his evaluation of geography as an essential element of history. This article aims to prove the effect of geography on the shaping of societies and thus history through al-Masūdīs narrative.

 Müslüman tarihçiler, eserlerine tarihin başlangıcı olarak kabul ettikleri yaratılıştan başlama temâyülünde olmuştur. Bu şekilde evrenin tarihi, insanlık tarihinin başlangıcı olarak ele alınmış, peygamberler tarihiyle birlikte İslâm tarihine bağlanmıştır. Mesûdî ise 4.10. yüzyılda buna ek olarak dünya coğrafyasını karaları, denizleri ve sularıyla birlikte tanıtmış, tarihi üzerinde gerçekleştiği mekanla neredeyse eşzamanlı şekilde ele aldığı bir metin ortaya koymuştur. Müellifin bu özelliği, isminin İslâm tarihçileri kadar coğrafyacıları arasında da zikredilmesini sağlamıştır. Ancak Mesûdînin coğrafyaya yaklaşımı bir coğrafya yazarından oldukça farklıdır. Müellif tarihsel coğrafyayı, coğrafî tarihle birlikte değerlendirmiştir. Fauna ve florasıyla ele aldığı yeryüzünün insanlık tarihini nasıl etkilediğini, toplumları nasıl şekillendirdiğini ve buna mukabil toplumların çevrelerine nasıl tesir ettiğini özenle kaydetmiştir. Araştırmalarını yazılı kaynaklardan aldığı bilgilerin ötesine taşıyan Mesûdî, seyahatleri esnasında bu özellikleri dikkatle tetkik ederek aktarmış; merak ettiği ya da şüphe duyduğu konuları yerlilerle, tüccar ve denizcilerle müzakere ederek aydınlatmaya çalışmıştır. Bu şekilde gözlem ve soruşturmalarla elde ettiği malumatı, kimi durumlarda yazılı kaynakların önüne geçirmiştir. Bu sayede beşerî coğrafyayı işleyerek, insan merkezli bir tarih yazımı ortaya koymuştur. Bu makale, insanın yeryüzü coğrafyasıyla kurduğu ilişki neticesinde ortaya çıkan etkileri Mesûdînin günümüze ulaşan eserleri Mürûcüz-zeheb ve et-Tenbîh vel-işrâftaki anlatımından yola çıkarak tasnif etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Böylece toplumların beslenme, barınma gibi temel ihtiyaçlar konusundaki kültürel farklılıkları; bunun yanı sıra hayvanların evcilleştirilmesi ve bitkilerin aklimatizasyonu gibi faaliyetlerin insanlık tarihi üzerindeki etkileri, müellifin tarih yazımındaki şekliyle tespit edilecektir. Bu vesileyle coğrafyanın tarih anlatısının bir unsuru olarak ele alınmasının tarih yazımı alanına sunduğu katkılar belirtilerek Mesûdînin öncü yaklaşımının tarihe farklı bir pencereden bakma imkânı tanıdığı görülecektir. Bu amaçla öncelikle müellifin eserlerinde aktarıldığı şekliyle yeryüzünün evrendeki konumunun tasviri açıklanacaktır. Zira Mesûdî kendi çağının hâkim bilimsel yaklaşımı gereği dünyanın ateş, hava, su ve toprak şeklinde dört unsurdan teşekkül ettiğini belirtirken aynı zamanda, semavi cisimlerin ay altı alemin bu süfli materyallerinden uzaklığına işaret etmektedir. Yine yeryüzünde mevsimlerin oluşumundaki ana etmenin gök cisimleri olduğunun da farkındadır. Müellifin yeryüzü tasvirine gelindiğinde ise İran menşeli kişver sistemine dayandığı görülmektedir. Buna göre yeryüzünün merkezi Mesûdînin de doğduğu ve hayatının ilk yıllarını geçirdiği bölge olan BâbilIrak iklimidir. Dünyanın yerleşik coğrafyası bu iklimi kuşatan altı iklim ile tasvir edilmektedir. Mesûdînin bu tasvirlerle yetinmeyerek teorik bilgiyi yeryüzünde yaşayan tüm canlılara, insan, hayvan ve bitkilere uygulaması ile temayüz ettiği, coğrafyanın canlı yaşama etkisiyle ilgili verdiği malumatta görülmektedir. Müellifin coğrafî determinizmi her iklim bölgesinin kendine has özellikleriyle üzerindeki yaşamı nasıl etkilediğini kati şekilde açıklamaktadır. Bu etki insanların ten renklerindeki değişiklik gibi fiziksel olduğu kadar, ruhi durumlarının değişiminde ya da hastalıkların ortaya çıkışında da kendisini göstermektedir. Dolayısıyla müellife göre bir bölgenin özelliklerinin anlaşılması aynı zamanda o iklim insanının maddi manevi pek çok durumunun açıklanması için yeterli bilgi elde etmeye imkân tanımaktadır. Mesûdî bu açıklamaları her ne kadar temelde yazılı kaynaklardan derlediyse de delillendirmek için hem kendi gözlemini hem de soruşturmaları vesilesiyle edindiği bilgileri kullanmıştır. Dolayısıyla Bâbil ikliminin merkezî konumunda da görüldüğü şekliyle kendi yaşadığı bölgeyi ve toplumu asıl kabul etmiş, bunu oldukça haklı bulduğu gerekçelerle izah etmiştir. Müellifin referans noktası en mutedil olan bölge, en mutedil olan toplum yani Irak bölgesi ve insanıdır. Dolayısıyla Mesûdî sadece müellif olarak değil, aynı zamanda yeryüzünün en mutedil noktasında doğması ve yaşaması dolayısıyla da anlatısının merkezine yerleşmektedir. Bu makalede ele alınan unsurlar Mesûdînin bir tarihçi olarak İslâm tarih yazımına sunduğu katkıların, coğrafyayı tarihin aslî bir unsuru olarak değerlendirmesiyle irtibatlı olduğunu göstermektedir. Makalede toplumların ve dolayısıyla tarihin şekillenmesinde coğrafyanın etkisinin Mesûdînin anlatısı özelinde delillendirilmesi hedeflenmektedir.

 When writing their works, Muslim historians have tended to start from the beginning of history, that is, from creation. In this way, the history of the universe was taken as the beginning of the history of humanity and connected to Islamic history together with the history of the prophets. Al-Masūdī, on the other hand, in the IVXth century, introduced the geography of the world with its land, seas, and waters, and produced a text that deals with history almost simultaneously with the ground on which it took place. This feature made the authors name mentioned among Islamic historians as well as geographers. However, al-Masūdīs approach to geography is quite different from that of a geographer. The author evaluated historical geography together with geographical history. He carefully recorded how the earth with its fauna and flora affected human history, how it shaped societies, and how societies in turn affected their environment. Carrying his research beyond the information he received from written sources, the scholar carefully examined and conveyed these features during his travels; he tried to enlighten the issues he was curious about or doubted by discussing them with locals, merchants and sailors. In this way, the information he obtained through observations and inquiries sometimes surpassed the written sources. In this way, he created a human-centered historiography by studying human geography. This article aims to classify the effects that emerged as a result of mans relationship with the geography of the earth based on al-Masūdīs narrative in his extant works al-Murūj al-zeheb and al-Tanbīh wal-ishrāf. Thus, the cultural differences of societies in terms of basic needs such as nutrition and shelter, as well as the effects of activities such as the domestication of animals and acclimatization of plants on human history will be identified in the authors historiography. In this way, the contributions of treating geography as an element of historical narrative to the field of historiography will be indicated, and it will be seen that al-Masūdīs pioneering approach allows us to look at history from a different perspective. For this purpose, first of all, the description of the earths position in the universe as conveyed in the authors works will be explained. For al-Masūdī stated that the earth was composed of four elements, which are fire, air, water, and earth, in accordance with the prevailing scientific approach of his time, but he also pointed to the distance of celestial spheroids from these lowly materials of the sublunar realm. He is also aware that the celestial bodies are the main factor in the formation of the seasons on earth. When it comes to the authors description of the earth, it is seen that he relies on the Iranian kishvar system. Accordingly, the center of the earth is the climate of BabylonIraq, the region where al-Masūdī was born and spent the first years of his life. The settled geography of the world is depicted with six climates surrounding this climate. The fact that al-Masūdī is not satisfied with these descriptions and distinguished himself by applying the theoretical knowledge to all living things on earth, humans, animals and plants, is seen in the information he gives about the effect of geography on living life. The authors geographical determinism explains precisely how each climatic region affects the life on it with its unique characteristics. This effect manifests itself not only physically, such as the change in the color of peoples skin, but also in the change of their mental state or the emergence of diseases. Therefore, according to the author, understanding the characteristics of a region also provides enough information to explain many of the material and spiritual conditions of the people of that climate. Although al-Masūdī compiled these explanations mainly from written sources, he used both his own observations and the information he acquired through his investigations to substantiate them. Therefore, as seen in the centrality of the Babylonian climate, he considered his own region and society as the main one, and explained this with reasons that he found quite justifiable. The authors reference point is the most moderate region and the most moderate society, namely the Iraqi region and its people. Therefore, al-Masūdī is placed at the center of his narrative not only as the author but also because he originated in the most moderate point of the world. The elements briefly mentioned here show that al-Masūdīs contributions to Islamic historiography as a historian are linked to his evaluation of geography as an essential element of history. This article aims to prove the effect of geography on the shaping of societies and thus history through al-Masūdīs narrative.

 When writing their works, Muslim historians have tended to start from the beginning of history, that is, from creation. In this way, the history of the universe was taken as the beginning of the history of humanity and connected to Islamic history together with the history of the prophets. Al-Masūdī, on the other hand, in the IVXth century, introduced the geography of the world with its land, seas, and waters, and produced a text that deals with history almost simultaneously with the ground on which it took place. This feature made the authors name mentioned among Islamic historians as well as geographers. However, al-Masūdīs approach to geography is quite different from that of a geographer. The author evaluated historical geography together with geographical history. He carefully recorded how the earth with its fauna and flora affected human history, how it shaped societies, and how societies in turn affected their environment. Carrying his research beyond the information he received from written sources, the scholar carefully examined and conveyed these features during his travels; he tried to enlighten the issues he was curious about or doubted by discussing them with locals, merchants and sailors. In this way, the information he obtained through observations and inquiries sometimes surpassed the written sources. In this way, he created a human-centered historiography by studying human geography. This article aims to classify the effects that emerged as a result of mans relationship with the geography of the earth based on al-Masūdīs narrative in his extant works al-Murūj al-zeheb and al-Tanbīh wal-ishrāf. Thus, the cultural differences of societies in terms of basic needs such as nutrition and shelter, as well as the effects of activities such as the domestication of animals and acclimatization of plants on human history will be identified in the authors historiography. In this way, the contributions of treating geography as an element of historical narrative to the field of historiography will be indicated, and it will be seen that al-Masūdīs pioneering approach allows us to look at history from a different perspective. For this purpose, first of all, the description of the earths position in the universe as conveyed in the authors works will be explained. For al-Masūdī stated that the earth was composed of four elements, which are fire, air, water, and earth, in accordance with the prevailing scientific approach of his time, but he also pointed to the distance of celestial spheroids from these lowly materials of the sublunar realm. He is also aware that the celestial bodies are the main factor in the formation of the seasons on earth. When it comes to the authors description of the earth, it is seen that he relies on the Iranian kishvar system. Accordingly, the center of the earth is the climate of BabylonIraq, the region where al-Masūdī was born and spent the first years of his life. The settled geography of the world is depicted with six climates surrounding this climate. The fact that al-Masūdī is not satisfied with these descriptions and distinguished himself by applying the theoretical knowledge to all living things on earth, humans, animals and plants, is seen in the information he gives about the effect of geography on living life. The authors geographical determinism explains precisely how each climatic region affects the life on it with its unique characteristics. This effect manifests itself not only physically, such as the change in the color of peoples skin, but also in the change of their mental state or the emergence of diseases. Therefore, according to the author, understanding the characteristics of a region also provides enough information to explain many of the material and spiritual conditions of the people of that climate. Although al-Masūdī compiled these explanations mainly from written sources, he used both his own observations and the information he acquired through his investigations to substantiate them. Therefore, as seen in the centrality of the Babylonian climate, he considered his own region and society as the main one, and explained this with reasons that he found quite justifiable. The authors reference point is the most moderate region and the most moderate society, namely the Iraqi region and its people. Therefore, al-Masūdī is placed at the center of his narrative not only as the author but also because he originated in the most moderate point of the world. The elements briefly mentioned here show that al-Masūdīs contributions to Islamic historiography as a historian are linked to his evaluation of geography as an essential element of history. This article aims to prove the effect of geography on the shaping of societies and thus history through al-Masūdīs narrative.

Makale detayları

Geography as a Shaping Element of Societies in Islamic Historiography: The Example of al-Mas‘ūdī

Yazarlar:

Zeynep Kaya Ünal

Yayıncı:

Hitit University

Ana Başlıklar:

İslam Tarihi

Dergi:

Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.23 Issue Din ve Coğrafya, pp.175-189

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001316462

pISSN:

2757-6949

Islamic History

al-Mas‘ūdī

Islamic Historiography

Historical Geographyİslam Tarihi

Mes‘ûdî

İslâm Tarihçiliği

Tarihsel Coğrafya

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Zeynep Kaya Ünal

Yayıncı: Hitit University

Ana Başlıklar: İslam Tarihi

Dergi: Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.23 Issue Din ve Coğrafya, pp.175-189

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 4/2024

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001316462

pISSN: 2757-6949

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Zeynep Kaya Ünal

Yayıncı:

Hitit University

Ana Başlıklar:

İslam Tarihi

Dergi:

Hitit İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.23 Issue Din ve Coğrafya, pp.175-189

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001316462

pISSN:

2757-6949