Leo Africanus

Joannes Leo Africanus, (c. 1494 – c. 1554?) (born al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan al-Fasi, Arabic:حسن ابن محمد الوزان الفاسي) was a Berber Andalusi diplomat and author who is best known for his book Descrittione dell’Africa (Description of Africa) describing the geography of North Africa. The book was unanimously considered the most authoritative source for the geography and politics of North and Sudanic Africa in Europe, until the modern exploration of Africa. For this work, he became a household name among European geographers. A fictionalized version of his life is the subject of an eponymous novel by Amin Maalouf.