The historical progress of geography and the Islamic geographers of the 13th century

Historical geography is a branch of geography science that studies a field in a past period using the principles and methods of modern geography. The fact that the sciences of history and geography both spread to a wide base and are in contact with many disciplines, and again are important enough to be a source for all sciences increase the importance of both history and geography. Geography is one of the foremost assistants of history. The 13th century was a period of political turmoil in Anatolian lands. It was also a period struggling with the crusade attacks in an attempt to take the Anatolian lands from the Muslims as a result of various promises of the European Catholic Christians and the Pope. Additionally, Islamic scholars have carried on scientific developments and progress by building concrete examples such as observatories, hospitals, and madrasas in Anatolian lands. Anatolian Islamic scholars have obtained crucial data and findings in the field of geography, as in many fields of science. This study aims to reveal, introduce and shed light on the historical process of geography and the scholars of the Islamic civilization who lived in the Anatolian lands in the 13th century. The developments that took place in this civilization and the scientists who were raised have given rise to the Islamic lands to become the center of science and culture. These scientists who were raised, not only affected the medieval period but also deeply affected today's world. Especially the scholars who were raised in the Islamic civilization and their studies have made major contributions to the renaissance, reform, and geographical explorations in the western world. In addition, it is not the thinkers of the medieval period that we are trying to examine in this study, but these thinkers' studies on different fields of science such as astronomy, geography, mathematics, physics, chemistry, cosmography, religious sciences, history, philosophy, and so on. The medieval period is the period in which scientific culture reaches its peak in the social context, both in the eastern and in the western world. It is especially important in the field of geography that the scholars who left a mark and their works that contributed to scientific developments be known as it is also an undeniable fact in other fields of science. Lastly, in this thesis, Muslim scientists who shine like pearls and who have been raised, lived, and composed works in the lands of Anatolia on the development of world science, and their achievements in scientific culture will be discussed.