ABSTRACT
When carrying out geographical studies in the Islamic area, we often have difficulty in obtaining geographical data. For example, maps and statistical documents of the region are scarce, and even if they do exist, their quality is not always good. It is also sometimes forbidden to take maps out of a country; and foreign researchers cannot always gain easy access to the region. Under such difficult situations, a two-step approach is recommended. The first step is to conduct a preliminary investigation using easily available macroscopic data to find potential districts that are worth investigating in depth, and the second step, based on the first, is to carry out a full investigation using detailed geographical data obtained from fieldwork in that district. (The exploratory methods employed in the first step are proposed by Openshaw et al. 1987; Walker and Moore 1988; Monmonier 1989; Fotheringham and Zhan 1996; Unwin 1996; Openshaw et al. 1990; Fotheringham et al. 1998; Murray and Shyy 2000; and Okabe and Funamoto 2000). The objective of this chapter is to provide an example of how to conduct a first-step preliminary investigation in the Islamic area.
