informed account of events that he himself has experienced. But despite his willingness to convey tangible information, the author fails to pull away from the preconceptions of his time.  
Let us, then, continue to follow his line of reasoning. Undoubtedly, Ibn Hawqal is quick to give his conjectures the appearance of a principle of evidence. Hence the following text:  
I have not mentioned the country of blacks in the Maghreb, nor Bedjdja and Zanj, nor other groups living in the vicinity because proper organization of empires is down to religious conviction, good morals and wise institutions; and the preservation of wealth depends on a just method of government. But these people neglect these qualities and do not participate in them; they therefore deserve to be singled out from other empires when it comes to being developed. However, some of the blacks settled in the vicinity of these famous empires adopt a religious belief, regulated lifestyles and sensible institutions and become closer to the inhabitants of these empires: an example are the Nubians and Abyssinians who conform to Byzantine ways of life. Before Islam, they were confined on Byzantine lands just as Nubian region borders Egypt and Abyssinia skirts the coastline of the Red Sea. Between these peoples and Egypt there are settled desert areas with gold mines; on the other hand they are linked to Eygpt and Syria via the Red Sea. [...] These are the known empires: the territory of Islam has grown by annexing the land of the aforementioned empires and it has seen its prestige and grandeur grow as a result (Ibn Hawqal, 1967, pp. 9-10).