Round map of the world of al-IdrisiThe collection of maps of al-Idrisi, intended, according to the name, as a "guide and for the pleasure of the traveler during a trip to distant countries", begins with a map drawn in the shape of a circle. In the center of the map are the Arabian Peninsula and Mecca. The South is located at the top of the map, which may be due to the fact that most Muslims lived in the North of Mecca and turned South during prayer. Bodleian library, University of Oxford