The Catalan Atlas

A medieval “visual encyclopedia of the world” from Majorca, home to the most famous picture of Mansa Musa of Mali holding a nugget of gold.

Made by

Elisha ben Abraham Cresques

Date

1375

Held by

Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris

Medium

Six parchment leaves mounted on wooden boards, nearly 3 m wide

Related dossiers

• The Baghdad Battery Hypothesis
• The Library of Alexandria