## Introduction  
It was at the beginning of the second half of the fourth century of the Hejira (H), or tenth century of the Common Era (CE), that geographer and chronicler Muhammad Abū al-Qāsim Ibn Hawqal decided to travel the world. The story of this pilgrimage is recorded in the book he left for posterity: Kitäb al-Masālik wa-l-Mamālik (Book of Roads and Kingdoms), known mainly under its other name Ṣurat al-'ard (The Face of the Earth). In this travel journal the author explains that he wants to examine the reasons for the differences between countries and the customs, culture and ways they adopt. In all likelihood he left Baghdad on 7 Ramadān $332 \mathrm{H} / 15$ May 943 CE. He travelled to the Maghreb, Sahara, South Africa and Muslim Spain from 336 to 340 H ( 947 to 951 CE). He went on to Egypt and Syria, followed by Iran, Armenia, Transoxania and Iraq before winding up his travels in $362 \mathrm{H} / 973 \mathrm{CE}$ with a journey across Arab Sicily. This journey of over thirty years resulted in this itinerant geographer writing an exciting narrative based, he said, on his unequivocal observation of reality and a meticulous appraisal of the testimonies he had collected. We are particularly interested in the description of African countries and his perception of blacks in general.