JPA Daily Buzz - Edisi 27 2026

page 2 When we talk about the first world map, many people might immediately think of famous explorers such as Christopher Columbus . But the history of mapping the world actually goes much further back. In fact, one of the most remarkable maps of the world was created in 1154, nearly 900 years ago , by a Muslim scholar named Muhammad al-Idrisi . Yes, a Muslim . Columbus is often associated with the age of exploration. But here’s something interesting. Al- Idrisi had already produced a remarkably detailed map of the known world in 1154 more than 300 years before Columbus even set sail . Before we continue, a small clarification. When we talk about Muslim travellers and explorers, many people immediately think of Ibn Battuta , the famous Moroccan traveller who journeyed across Africa, the Middle East, India and even China in the 14th century. So don’t confuse the two. Both Al-Idrisi and Ibn Battuta came from Morocco , but their stories are very different. Ibn Battuta was a great traveller , documenting his journeys across the world. Al- Idrisi, on the other hand, was a geographer and scholar , who studied the knowledge gathered by travellers and transformed it into one of the most remarkable maps of the medieval world. In a way, travellers like Ibn Battuta explored the world with their feet, while scholars like Al-Idrisi helped the world understand it through maps. Muhammad Al-Idrisi was born around the year 1100 in Ceuta , located on the northern coast of Africa near present-day Morocco. He later studied in Cordoba , one of the most important centres of learning in the Islamic world at that time. Like many scholars of his era, al-Idrisi travelled widely across parts of North Africa, Europe and the Middle East , observing landscapes, cities and trade routes. His travels eventually led him to the court of King Roger II of Sicily, a ruler known for encouraging scholarship and intellectual exchange. King Roger II asked Al-Idrisi to do something remarkable to create the most accurate map of the known world. Al-Idrisi spent years gathering information. He interviewed travellers, merchants and sailors, and compared their accounts with earlier geographical writings. Using this information, he created a detailed map describing regions across Europe, Asia and Africa . The work, completed in 1154 , became known as the Tabula Rogeriana. The map was reportedly engraved on a large silver disc weighing around 140 kilograms . Alongside the map, Al-Idrisi also wrote detailed descriptions of the regions he documented including cities, mountains, rivers, climate and trade routes. One interesting feature of Al-Idrisi’s map is that it looked different from the maps we are familiar with today. In his map, south was placed at the top, and north at the bottom . Despite this difference, the map demonstrated an impressive understanding of the world for its time. Long before satellites, GPS and digital navigation systems existed, scholars like Al-Idrisi were already attempting to understand and document the world with remarkable precision. Maps help us understand the world. But behind every map is something deeper. Curiosity, observation and the desire to explore beyond what we already know. Perhaps that is why travelling feels so meaningful. Every journey teaches us something new about the places we visit, the people we meet, and sometimes even about ourselves. More than eight centuries later, the work of scholars like Al-Idrisi reminds us that exploration is not only about travelling far. Sometimes it begins with something much simpler. A question. A curiosity and the courage to ask what lies beyond the horizon. P/S: These days, I must admit I cannot survive without Waze. If the app suddenly stops working, I might panic for a moment. Perhaps it is a gentle reminder that we rely too much on technology. Maybe it is also time for us to exercise our own sense of direction once in a while just like the travellers and scholars of the past who explored the world long before GPS existed. Dr. Diyana Hassim Head of Corporate Communications Public Service Department