LEO AFRICANUS
\lˈiːə͡ʊ ˈafɹɪkˌanəs], \lˈiːəʊ ˈafɹɪkˌanəs], \l_ˈiː__əʊ ˈa_f_ɹ_ɪ_k_ˌa_n_ə_s]\
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properly Alhassan ibn Mohammed Alwazzan. A Moorish traveler and geographer. About 1517 he was captured by pirates while returning from Egypt after extended travels in northern and central Africa, Arabia, Syria, etc. Ultimately he was presented as a slave to Leo X., who assigned him a pension. He wrote a "Description of Africa" which for a long time was almost the only authority, especially on the Soudan. He also wrote a "Tractate on the Lives of Arab Philosophers".
By Charles Dudley Warner
