--- title: Map of the Travels of Leo Africanus, c. 1509–1518: Africa, Trade and Empires in the Early 16th Century author: Simeon Netchev source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/19706/map-of-the-travels-of-leo-africanus-c-1509-1518/ format: machine-readable-alternate license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) updated: 2026-08-23 --- # Map of the Travels of Leo Africanus, c. 1509–1518: Africa, Trade and Empires in the Early 16th Century _Authored by [Simeon Netchev](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/simeonnetchev/)_ ## Image File [![Map of the Travels of Leo Africanus, c. 1509–1518: Africa, Trade and Empires in the Early 16th Century](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/19706.png)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/19706.png) ## Image Caption The travels of [Leo Africanus](https://www.worldhistory.org/Leo_Africanus/) (al-Hasan ibn [Muhammad](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Muhammad/) al-Wazzan al-Fāsī, c. 1494–c. 1554) illuminate the political, commercial, and cultural connections of early 16th-century [Africa](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/africa/) and the [Mediterranean](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/mediterranean/). Born in Granada shortly before the fall of the Nasrid kingdom (1492) and raised in Fez under the Wattasid Sultanate (1472–1554), he was educated as a Muslim scholar and served on diplomatic missions across the Maghreb, Sahara, and Bilād al-Sūdān. His journeys (c. 1509–1518) took him through trading centres linked to the Songhay [Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/empire/) under Askia Muhammad (reign 1493–1528) and through [Egypt](https://www.worldhistory.org/egypt/) as Mamluk rule gave way to Ottoman [conquest](https://www.worldhistory.org/warfare/) under Selim I (reign 1512–1520) in 1517. Captured by Christian corsairs in 1518 and taken to [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/), he was baptized in 1520 as Johannes Leo de Medici under Pope Leo X (reign 1513–1521), placing him at the intersection of African, Islamic, and European intellectual traditions. His Cosmography of Africa, completed in Rome in 1526 and first published in edited form as the *Description of Africa* in 1550, became one of [Europe](https://www.worldhistory.org/europe/)’s most influential accounts of the continent. Drawing on personal observation, diplomatic experience, information from merchants and travellers, and inherited geographical traditions, Leo described political systems, urban life, religious communities, and commercial networks from Fez and [Timbuktu](https://www.worldhistory.org/Timbuktu/) to Cairo and the Niger. Yet the work is not a straightforward eyewitness record: uncertainties, exaggerations, and later editorial reshaping require careful source criticism. Its historical importance lies both in the African societies it records and in the perspective of its author, revealing how knowledge moved across the Sahara and Mediterranean while also showing how travel [writing](https://www.worldhistory.org/writing/) could preserve, reinterpret, and sometimes distort the worlds it described. #### Editorial Review This human-authored image has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/). ## About the Author Simeon is a freelance visual designer and history educator, passionate about the human stories that shape the past. - [Linkedin Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/simeon-netchev/) ## Cite This Work ### APA Netchev, S. (2026, August 23). Map of the Travels of Leo Africanus, c. 1509–1518: Africa, Trade and Empires in the Early 16th Century. *World History Encyclopedia*. ### Chicago Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Travels of Leo Africanus, c. 1509–1518: Africa, Trade and Empires in the Early 16th Century." *World History Encyclopedia*, August 23, 2026. . ### MLA Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Travels of Leo Africanus, c. 1509–1518: Africa, Trade and Empires in the Early 16th Century." *World History Encyclopedia*, 23 Aug 2026, . ## License & Copyright Submitted by [Simeon Netchev](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/simeonnetchev/ "User Page: Simeon Netchev"), published on 23 August 2026. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0deed.en). This licence only allows others to download this content and share it with others as long as the author is credited, but they can't change the content in any way or use it commercially. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.