The Mentalities of Muslim Geographers about The Wonders of the World (Third to the Seventh Centuries of Hegira): A Study on The Ancient Area of Egyptian Pyramids

Geographical texts of the Muslim world in the medieval period presented the diverse data and readings of Wonders of the World. Rather than serving as objective accounts pertaining to the reality, the data are indicative of the mentalities of the authors’ contemporaneous societal and cultural discourses. The main question addressed here is what mentalities Muslim geographers- from the third/ninth to the seventh/thirteenth century- held about the Pyramids and thereabouts, including Sphinx of Giza. Can we find any instances of scientific investigation or anthropological exploration in their discourse? Are the ideas of those Muslim scholars reflecting the popular narratives and folktales among the commoners? Content analysis serves as the model of this study. First, the data contained in the most important geographical sources about the subject is descriptively explored. Then, history of mentalities is applied in order to inquire, process, and analyse the data. The findings suggest that the mentalities prevailing among the commoners, such as the magical characters to depictions and statues in these historical constructs, has the upper hand over other interpretations.