Ibr ā h ī m Ibn Ya ‘ q ū b Al-Isr ā ’ ī l ī Al-Tur ṭ ushi

( b . Tortosa, Spain; fl . second half of the tenth century)

geography .

Ibr ā h ī m ibn Ya ‘ q ū b, a Spanish Jewish merchant, was known for his travels through eastern, central, and western Europe on business and, probably, diplomatic missions. At that time, about 965, there were colonies of Jews throughout Europe who would be apt to receive a fellow Jew. Only fragments remain of his one or more geographical writings.

Because of the difficulty in identifying the names of towns and places from those who quoted Ibr ā h ī m ’ s description of his journey, the ...