Al-Qazwīnī's Geographical Attitude According to Āthār al-bilād wa-akhbār al-ʽibād

Following the invasions of the Mongols and the subsequent establishment of the Ilkhanate, the Islamic territory faced a new situation, which affected the development of the sciences. In this situation, the Iranian Muslim geographer, Abū Yaḥyā Zakariyyāʾ ibn Muḥammad ibn Maḥmūd al-Qazwīnī, wrote geographical Āthār al-bilād wa-akhbār al-ʽibād (Monuments of the Lands and Historical Traditions about Their Peoples), as well as the ʿAjāʾib al-makhlūqāt wa-gharāʾib al-mawjūdāt (Wonders of the Creation and Unique [phenomena] of the Existence). This article aims to answer whether al-Qazwīnī, in his Āthār al-bilād, wa-akhbār al-ʽibād, followed his predecessors' approach or devised an innovative attitude. This article also explores the elements and characteristics of his attitude. The survey shows that al-Qazwīnī, by choosing a generalistic view, included the geography of the foreign territories in his book. He was influenced by the Greek climate categorization and the Iraqi school in geography. His geographical writings have a historical tendency so the biographies could be found in his book.