Beirut Travel, Lebanon Travel

The people living there needed plants to feed their animals.
There are many lexicographers, geographers, travellers and physicians who wrote on plants. One of them was Abü Sa’id ‘Abd al-Malik lbn Quraib al-Asma’i. One of them is on plants and trees. In the preface of this book the author has provided a general discussion on plants. Finally, he has described those plants which grow in plains and deserts. He has mentioned 230 plants in all.
Another lexicographer and grammarian who wrote on plants was Ahmad Ibn Da’ud Ibn Wanand, nicknamed al-Dinawari.
In his book on plants al-Dinawari described, after observing the plants in the places where they grew, all that he had discovered and also all that his predecessors had mentioned.
Al-Birüni (d.1048) made observation on plants. The later writers based their works on it adding whatever they knew of plants and simple drugs. The book of Dioscorides consists of five discourses.
The first discourse deals with sweet smelling drugs. The third discourse discusses the roots of plants, the thorny plants and similar topics. The fifth discourse mentions different kinds of drinks and mineral drugs.
One of the most important Ancient scientist botanists was Abu’l-Mansur Rashid al-Din Abu’l-Fadl Ibn Ali al-Süri He was the greatest authority on simple drugs, the variety of their names, their properties and uses.
Al-Süri went to the places where the plants could be found, like the hills of Lebanon and other places which were famous for one or the other plant. Al-Suri showed the plants to the painter at the time of their growth, maturity and withering. Al-Suri included these illustrations in his book on simple drugs and plants. Al-Suri served al-Malik al-Adil Abu Bakr Ibn Ayyüb as a physician in 1215, and accompanied him from Quds to the Egyptian lands. After the death of al-Malik al-Adil, he served his son, al- Malik al-Mu’azzam ‘Isa Ibn Abi Bakr. After the latter’s death, al-Suri served his son, al-Malik al-Nasir Da’ud Ibn al-Malik al-Mu’azzam. Al-Suri died in 1241 in Damascus.
Another illustrious scholar and a distinguished botanist was Abu Ja’far Ahmad lbn Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Sayyid al-Ghafiqi (d. 1165).
One of the most important Ancient scientist botanists was Abu Muhammad ‘Abd Allah Ibn Ahmad al-Mãliqi al-Nabäti, known as Ibn al-Baitàr. Ibn al-Baitar was in the service of al- Malik al-Kamil Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr Ibn Ayyüb. Al-Baitàr is the author of many works on simple drugs and other subjects. One of them is the Kitab al-Jami’ fi‘l-Adwiyyah al-Mufradah. The opinions of the later scholars about mineral, animal and plant drugs have also been quoted in the book. This book is the best Arabic work on this subject. It was written for Al-Malik al-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyüb Ibn al-Malik al-Kãmil.
Ibn al-Rümiyah was a well-known scholar, researcher on medicine, the author of many works and fond of collecting books.
The last famous writer on agriculture in Spain was Abü Zakariyyä Yahya Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Awwam al-Ashbili. His valuable book is entitled Kitab al-Falahah. It is entitled Jami’ farã’ id al-Malähah fi Jawami’ Fawa’id al-Falahah.
8. Storage of grains, seeds, dry and fresh fruits, some vegetables1 extracts, salts,
yeasts, rose water, etc.’

The first geographer and traveller who mentioned plants in his books was Ibn al-Wádih al-Ya’qübi (d. 1794). He travelled throughout the Ancient scientist world and composed a work entitled Kitab al-Buldán.

The famous geographer Abu Abd Allah Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd Allah Ibn Idris al-Husaini al-Saqali, commonly known as al-Sharif al-Idrisi, also wrote three works on plants and simple drugs. One of them entitled ‘Kitab al-Jãmi’ li-Sifat Ashtat al-Nabät contains the description of various useful drugs relating to trees, fruits, roots, flowers, minerals, etc. The book consists of four parts.

The greatest botanist of the 16th century was Da’ud Ibn Umar al-Nasir al-Antäki.

An important botanist of the 18th century was ‘Abd al-Razzäq Ibn Muhammad Ibn Hamadush Al-Jazä’iri.

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