Science in the Medieval World

“Book of the Categories of Nations”

[Tabaqat al-’Umam]

Sa‘id al-Andalusi

Chapter 3: Nations Having no interest in Science

Of the nations who have shown no interest in science, the most advanced are the Chinese and the Turks. The Chinese are the most numerous of all nations. They have the richest kingdom and occupy the largest territory. They inhabit the eastern sector of the populated world between the equinoctial line and the farthest of the seven regions to the north. They surpassed other nations in industrial technology and graphic arts. They excelled in their endurance while performing arduous labors and in improving their work and perfecting their products.

The Turks are also a nation having a large population and a rich kingdom. They inhabit the region between the eastern regions of Khorasan of the Islamic kingdom, the western regions of China, and the northern parts of India to the end of the populated world to the north. They distinguished themselves by their ability to wage wars and by the construction of arms, and by being the ablest horsemen and tacticians. They have the sharpest eyes when it comes to throwing lances, striking with swords, or shooting arrows.

The rest of this tabaqat (category), which showed no interest in science, resembles animals more than human beings. Those among them who live in the extreme North, between the last of the seven regions and the end of the populated world to the north, suffered from being too far from the sun; their air is cold and their skies are cloudy. As a result their temperament is cool and their behavior rude. Consequently, their bodies became enormous, their color turned white, and their hair drooped down. They have lost keenness of understanding and sharpness of perception. They were overcome by ignorance and laziness, and infested by fatigue and stupidity. Such are the Slavonians, the Bulgarians, and neighboring peoples.

Also in this category are people who lived close to the equinoctial line and behind it to the end of the populated world to the south. Because the sun remains close to their heads for long periods, their air and their climate have become hot; they are of hot temperament and fiery behavior. Their color turned black, their hair turned kinky. As a result, they lost the value of patience and firmness of perception. They were overcome by foolishness and ignorance. These are the people of Sudan who inhabited the far reaches of Ethiopia, Nubia, the Zinj, and others.

The Jalaliqah [Galicians, Austrians], the Berbers, and the rest of the populations of the western sector that belong to this tabaqat are nations that Allah, may He be glorified, has provided with despotism, ignorance, enmity, an violence. This is in spite of the fact that these peoples did not inhabit the far North or the far South to be punished by severe climates. IN fact their domain is close to the temperate zones. The Galixians reside in the western parts of the 5^th climatic region and some of the neighboring provinces in the 6^th region. The Berbers inhabit the western parts of the 2^nd climatic region, and what borders it from the 3^rd and 4^th regions. But Allah provides generously for whomever he chooses, and diverts His grace away from whomever He chooses.

All the other peoples of this tabaqat that I have not previously mentioned are similar in their ignorance to those already mentioned. Although they have varied classifications and unequal shares [of ignorance], they belong to the same class and may be described by the same words. They have never searched for wisdom or practiced the study of philosophy. Most of them are an urban population, while their servants live in rural areas. No matter where they are, in the East, in the West, in the South, or in the North, they are governed by royal decrees and divine laws. The only peoples that reject these humane institutions and live outside these rational laws are a few of the inhabitants of the deserts and the wilderness such as the beggers of Bajah [Boga], the savages of Ghana, the misers of the Zinj, and those resembling them.