We translate the author's works in the first section as unique works in this field. They were written during a period when the conditions of this region were unknown to other Arab travelers and geographers. They form the main source for the history of states that flourished in the region, such as the ancient state of Ghana and the Islamic state of Mali.

It is worth mentioning here: Al-Farazi, the Arab scholar, who was the first to mention Ghana and several other African countries from the Arab geographers before him, Adam, and Ibn Abd al-Hakam in his "Futuh Misr wa al-Maghrib", Ibn Hawqal in his "Al-Masalik wa al-Mamalik" (Book of Roads and Kingdoms), Al-Masudi in "Muruj al-Dhahab wa Ma'adin al-Jawhar", Abu Ubayd al-Bakri in "Al-Maghrib fi Dhikr Bilad Ifriqiya wa al-Maghrib" (Part of Al-Masalik wa al-Mamalik), Al-Idrisi in "Nuzhat al-Mushtaq fi Ikhtiraq al-Afaq", Yaqut al-Hamawi in "Mu'jam al-Buldan", Ahmad ibn Fadlallah al-Umari in "Masalik al-Absar fi Mamalik al-Amsar", Ibn Battuta in "Tuhfat al-Anzar fi Ghara'ib al-Amsar wa Aja'ib al-Asfar", Ibn Khaldun in "Al-Ibar wa Diwan al-Mubtada' wa al-Khabar", Al-Qalqashandi in "Subh al-A'sha", Al-Tirizi in his description of "Al-Sudan", Leo Africanus in his "Africa", and many others.

The great Russian Orientalist, Ignaty Krachkovsky, covered this topic comprehensively and presented a complete and interesting overview of the travelers, geographers, and historians who excelled in this field.