Yaqut al-Hamawi

Yaqut al-Hamawi yäko͞ot´ äl-hämäwē´ [key], 1179–1229, Arab geographer. Born in Byzantium, he was bought as a slave by a merchant, al-Hamawi. He was freed on the death of his master and traveled extensively in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Persia. His Mujam al-Buldan, a geographical dictionary that includes much biographical, historical, and cultural data, is a primary source in Arabic scholarship.