Identify the traveller, who was well versed in several languages like Persian, Hebrew and Sanskrit?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Al-Biruni
Al-Biruni was born in 973 in Khwarizm, in present-day Uzbekistan, an important centre of learning. He was well versed in several languages: Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew and Sanskrit. He did not know Greek, but he had read Plato and other Greek philosophers in Arabic translations. His account of India, the Kitab-ul-Hind, was written in Arabic.
NCERT (2025-26): “1.1 From Khwarizm to the Punjab … Al-Biruni was born in 973, in Khwarizm in present-day Uzbekistan. Khwarizm was an important centre of learning, and Al-Biruni received the best education available at the time. He was well versed in several languages: Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew and Sanskrit. Although he did not know Greek, he was familiar with the works of Plato and other Greek philosophers, having read them in Arabic…” |