«Qaṭāniyyah (Catania): also known as Madinat al-Fīl, is a large city within the island of Siqilliyah (Sicily), on the roof of a great palace in the city, which overlooks the court house, there an image of a standing elephant can be seen, carved from hard black stone that resembles the rock found within a Volcano» Muhammad bin Abdul-Mun'im Al-Hamiri, الروض المعطار في خبر الأقطار.(Summary of the original Arabic text)
«Ibn Hawqal said: And Wādī Al-Ḥijāra is near the Madinat Salem. Ibn Saeed said: To the east of Ṭulayṭilah(Toledo) is the Madinat al-Faraj, and its river is called Wādī Al-Ḥijāra, and to its east is Madinat Salem.» Abu al-Fida', تقويم البلدان
«And six miles from Liyāj (Acireale) sits the city of Qaṭāniyyah (Catania), and it is the beautiful country known as the Balad al-Fīl, lofty in status and lofty in mention. Its gardens are many, and the elephant with which it is famous is a statue made of stone in the image of an elephant. It was erected on a tall building in the past, then it was moved now and it is erected inside the city in the monks’ church.» Muhammad al-Idrisi, Nuzhat al-mushtāq fī ikhtirāq al-āfāq (Summary of the original Arabic text).
Pacheco Paniagua, Juan Antonio. Sobre la etimología de Albacete (PDF). Centro de Estudios de Castilla-La Mancha (in Spanish). pp. 71–78. Retrieved May 18, 2012
Société de Géographie de Paris., Recueil de Voyages et de Mémoires publié de la Société de Geographie , Paris: Société de Géographie, part 6 pg.15, QID:Q51524786
Société de Géographie de Paris., Recueil de Voyages et de Mémoires publié de la Société de Geographie , Paris: Société de Géographie, part 6 pg.15, QID:Q51524786
Société de Géographie de Paris., Recueil de Voyages et de Memoires publié de la Société de Geographie, Paris: Société de Géographie, part.6, pg.14, QID: Q51524786
Société de Géographie de Paris., Recueil de Voyages et de Mémoires publié de la Société de Geographie , Paris: Société de Géographie, part 6 pg.15, QID:Q51524786
«And six miles from Liyāj (Acireale) sits the city of Qaṭāniyyah (Catania), and it is the beautiful country known as the Balad al-Fīl, lofty in status and lofty in mention. Its gardens are many, and the elephant with which it is famous is a statue made of stone in the image of an elephant. It was erected on a tall building in the past, then it was moved now and it is erected inside the city in the monks’ church.» Muhammad al-Idrisi, Nuzhat al-mushtāq fī ikhtirāq al-āfāq (Summary of the original Arabic text).
«Qaṭāniyyah (Catania): also known as Madinat al-Fīl, is a large city within the island of Siqilliyah (Sicily), on the roof of a great palace in the city, which overlooks the court house, there an image of a standing elephant can be seen, carved from hard black stone that resembles the rock found within a Volcano» Muhammad bin Abdul-Mun'im Al-Hamiri, الروض المعطار في خبر الأقطار.(Summary of the original Arabic text)
«Qaṭāliyyah (Catania): also known as Qaṭāniyyah, is an ancient city with churches furnished with speckled marble, it lies on the coast of the island of Siqilliya (Sicily) and sits at the foot of Jabal al-Nār (Mount Etna), it has an elephant statue made of stone and for that it is known as Madinat al-Fīl.» Yaqut al-Hamwi.معجم البلدان.
Ahmed Tawfiq Al-Madani. Muslims in Sicily and southern Italy(المسلمون في جزيرة صقلية وجنوب إيطاليا). Al-Istiqama Library( مكتبة الاستقامة), Tunisia, 1365 HIjri(1945-1946) , first edition.
Société de Géographie de Paris., Recueil de Voyages et de Mémoires publié de la Société de Geographie , Paris: Société de Géographie, part 6 pg.15, QID:Q51524786
