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The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries, Page vii

Al-Biruni

A page from al-Biruni's own chronology showing an Arabic diagram of the four cardinal directions and regional names.

A page from al-Biruni's own chronological work, directly showing his writing and diagrams.

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Diagram labeled B in Arabic script: a circle with a horizontal and vertical line dividing it into four quadrants. Arabic labels mark the cardinal directions (south at top, north at bottom, east left, west right) and regional names in each quadrant.
Al-Biruni, The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries, p. vii.

About this source

What it is

This page comes from al-Biruni's book The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries (also known as the Chronology of Ancient Nations), written in Arabic. It shows a diagram dividing a circle into four labeled quadrants marking directions and regions.

Why it matters

Al-Biruni was known for combining careful observation with clear diagrams to explain geography, astronomy and history. This page is a direct sample of his own text and illustrations, giving students a glimpse of how he presented information to readers in his time.

Look closer

  • What does the diagram tell you about how al-Biruni organized geographic knowledge?
  • Why might a scholar use a diagram instead of only words to explain directions and regions?
  • What questions do you still have after looking at this page without being able to read the Arabic text?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Al-Biruni on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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