Hasan/John-Leo is the narrator and the main protagonist of the story. The story is written from his perspective as a well-traveled 40-year-old man. He was born the son of an affluent family in Granada. However, as he declares in the Prologue, “I come from no country, from no city, no tribe” (2). His time living in Granada, Fez, and Rome have blurred his identity to a point that he no longer identifies as Granadan or anything else. Still, he remains a devout Muslim throughout. At the same time, he develops a view that all religions are imperfect and can be corrupted by human influence.

From early on, Hasan values intellect. He is a good student and is endlessly curious. Even long before his travels begin, he enjoys extensively exploring Fez with his friend Harun. In school, he studies even taboo topics like philosophy and astronomy. In Rome, he identifies with the Medicis and their patronage of the arts and scholarship. In fact, it is while in Rome that he stops focusing on business and works on the book he is known for in history, Description of Africa.

Throughout the

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