Yaqut ibn-Abdullah al-Rumi al-Hamawi) (1179-1229) was a Syrian biographer and geographer. "al-Rumi" ("from Rum") refers to his Greek (Byzantine) descent, "al-Hamawi" means that he is from Hama, Syria, and ibn-Abdullah means his father's name was Abdullah. The word yaqut means ruby. He was known for his encyclopedia writings of the Muslim world.
Yaqut was sold as a slave to someone who later moved to Baghdad. Upon recognizing his abilities, Yaqut's purchaser provided him with a good education. He was later freed and traveled a great deal. Yaqut also earned a living copying and selling manuscripts.Works
* Kitab mu'jam al-buldan
* Mu'jam al-udaba' , ("Dictionary of Writers") written in 1226.
* al-Mushtarak wadh'a wa al-Muftaraq Sa'qa, a version of which was printed in 1845 by Wustenfeld.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaqut_al-Hamawi