#WMhack - last years demo

At last years hackathon, one highlight was the map showing the history of Islamic states. It makes clever use of Wikipedia and it makes information available in Arabic and English.

This year the hackathon will be in Zurich and one of the main subjects are maps and how it relates to Wikidata. The history of Islamic states is relevant in all languages and it would be cool when we can update this application to make use of Wikidata.

In this map,  all the different states have an overlay. There must be a map for each state at each interval. This app shows the different rulers at a time.

When we have such overlays available to us, we can do more than show the rulers, the centres of power. We could show the battles, the wars, the conquests. They happen in between the changes of the maps.

Maps that show areas grow and wane in time are another area where Wikidata can be a real help if only because it links to information in so many languages.
Thanks,
      GerardM

The history of #Islam in #Wikidata

You would expect the #Arabic #Wikipedia be the richest resource on the history of the Muslim world. The reality is a bit different. I have been adding information for several Muslim dynasties, particularly those who had their territory in Northern Africa. To my amazement I find that the Catalan Wikipedia does a better job at providing information.

To some extend it makes sense; Spain and Portugal have been ruled by Islam for a long time and consequently these dynasties are part of their history as well.

The genealogy of the Zayyanid dynasty is complicated. What you see in the picture are Zayyanid emirs. The problem is that you have to trust the Wikipedia information it is based on. Abu Hammu III for instance ruled from 1517–1527 and is said to be the son of Abu Abbas Ahmad who ruled from 1430–1461. This means that he was at least 55 when he became emir.. It is possible. His brother is said to be his successor for another 13 years; this I find unlikely.

To create this image, it was necessary to create several Wikidata items, many English labels and all of the genealogy information. It would be really cool when this information is verified and completed with source information. It is only a stub for information in Wikidata.
Thanks,
     GerardM

About succession and countries

When you are adding labels to #Wikidata the infoboxes are the main inspiration and source of information. To the right you find a detail of the infobox of the Almohad caliphate. It shows really interesting information.

When you look at the size of the Almoravid dynasty, you will agree that the Almohads have absorbed other countries as well. In a similar way, the succeeding countries are unlikely to have killed of the Almohads all at the same time. It also becomes obvious that there is little relation to the countries that exist in the territories of these past domains

There are multiple ways to bring some clarity in all this. One is to show overlaying maps and the other is to use qualifiers with the data. The succession is likely to have coincided with events, events like battles. These events have dates and coordinates. These events link back to the countries that are in conflict.

To get such data in a consistent manner in Wikidata will take a lot of effort. I am curious if there are sources that already found their way to express it effectively. I am a fan of importing data but I am equally convinced that there is a lot where judgement and involvement is the only option.
Thanks,
      GerardM

The Hammadids of #Algeria

#Wikidata can be #fun. This time it was possible by combining data from several Wikipedias to make a complete list of both the succession of the "sultans" and to complete the genealogy of these people.

Completing such things are not always that straightforward, in this case I found that three rulers were cousins so they had the same grandfather. When one of them is called Nasir ibn Alnas, you can deduce that his father was called Alnas ibn Hammad. As there is no Wikipedia article for several of the Hammadids, I added these missing links in Wikidata.

The Hammadid dynasty occupied their territory and at some stage this territory was absorbed by the Almohad caliphate. Something that does not become clear in the English Wikipedia. The growth and decline of many of these African territories can be nicely seen in this animated map. What would be nice if maps like these are linked for the rulers to Wikidata. It would provide the key to data in many languages.
Thanks,
      GerardM

#WMhack - Historic maps .. more empires

Conferences are also places where you make friends. Fareh showed me an application where you can see how Islamic states evolved over time. It is really powerful as it visualises history I did not learn about in school, in my country.



For much of the background information it relies on the Arabic language Wikipedia. We discussed how Wikidata could provide information in other languages as well.. I for one do not understand enough Arabic. The user interface of the application might be translated at translatewiki.net as well..
Thanks,
     GerardM