Ibn Abd al Hakam: Futuh Misr;

(Conquest of Egypt) (871AD)

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Taken from: Geography and Religious Knowledge in the Medieval World by Christoph Mauntel.

Abu al Qasim Abd al Rahman ibn Abdullah ibn Abd al Hakam told us, Muhammad ibn Ismail al Kabi told us, my father told me, on the authority of Harmla ibn Umran al Tajibi, on the authority of Abu Qabil, on the authority of Aubdullah ibn Amr ibn al As, who said: The world was created in five images: in the image of the bird (1) with its head, chest, wings and tail. The head is Mecca, Medina and Yemen, and the chest is Syria and Egypt and the right wing is Iraq, and behind Iraq is a nation called a Waq and behind Waq there is a nation called Waq Waq, and behind that of the nations is what only God Almighty knows. And the left wing is Sind, and behind Sind is India, and behind India is a nation called Nasik, and behind Nasik is a nation called Mansik, and behind that are nations that only God Almighty knows. And the rear of the same pigeon is towards the Maghrib of sunset and the worst part of the bird is its tail.