A Contemplation of the Geographical Origin of Seyyed Isma’il Jurjani

Isma’il Ibn Hassan Ibn Mohammad Ibn Ahmad-e-Hosseini, known as Seyyed Isma’il Jurjani (1042-1137 AD) is a renowned physician of Iran and the Islamic world in 11-12 centuries. Although considerable research is conducted on him and his scientific achievements, a clear picture of his geographical origin and place of residence is not given mainly because of the similarity existing between the names of the two cities in the region of Jurjan or Gorgan city (Jurjan) and the other in the Chorasmia (Khwarazm) region (Urgench city). Also, based on linguistic evidence, Urgench shows the real birthplace of this great scientist in Transoxiana and Khwarazm. The present article aims to provide a clearer picture of the geographical origin and the environment of Jurjani’s life according to historical, geographical, and linguistic evidence. Based on the findings of this article, Jurjani belonged to Jurjaniyeh (Urgench) in the Chorasmia region and his assignment to the Gorgan region (Jurjan) is not consistent with historical evidence.