Maps in Islamic civilization were more than instruments of geographical navigation; they were visual texts that represented the cultural concepts and symbolic systems of their time. The present study was conducted to interpret visual signs and analyze the structure of images in three manuscripts of Kitāb al-Masālik wa al-Mamālik, in order to explain how geographical concepts were conveyed through visual elements. This research seeks to answer the following questions: first, how did color and form contribute to conveying geographical themes in the structure of the maps contained in the manuscripts of al-Masālīk wa al-Mamālīk? Second, what kind of visual coherence and stylistic relationship existed between these manuscripts and other illustrated geographical works of Islamic civilization produced between the 4th and 10th centuries AH?
Textual and visual evidence was collected from library sources within a historical framework, and the research was carried out using a descriptive-analytical method.
The findings of the study indicate that cartography in these manuscripts followed a conventional semiotic system in which colors and shapes played a decisive role. Examination of the three manuscripts of Kitāb al-Masālik wa al-Mamālik showed that the maps in all three copies shared common features such as symbolic coloring, the use of fixed visual signs, and the resemblance of certain elements and textures to the traditions of manuscript painting.
In addition, the findings suggest that the use of many forms that did not correspond to the actual shapes of natural phenomena was not intended as imitation. Rather, these visual signs, rendered in both geometric and non-geometric forms, were meant to convey broader cultural meanings prevailing in a region, rather than merely indicating the location of natural features.