The Land of China in the Eyes of Iraqi School of Geographers

The third century (AH) marked the beginning of a fresh start in the history of geographical accounts of the Islamic civilization; for the first time, Muslim geography scholars shifted toward general and descriptive geography. According to researchers geographical works of the third and fourth centuries (AH) could be divided into Iraqi and Balkhi schools, each with distinct specificities. In contrast to Balkhi School, the Iraqi School geographers made efforts to describe regions beyond the Islamic territories; China was among these regions which enjoyed special attention. Hence, the current research employs historical analytical-descriptive method to study, in a comparative context, the works of ibn Khardazbeh, ibn Rasteh, ibn Faqih, Yaghoubi, Masoudi and Jihani, in order to find answer to the question as to how China was depicted in them? What were the source of information for the geography journalists of this School, and how did they gather their data? What resemblance, or difference is discernible in their accounts of China? Studies indicate that the geographers of this School found their reports on the historical, economic and social geography of China, and had a myriad of ways for collecting their information.