Abu Zechariah Yahya wrote his masterful *Kitab al-Filaha* (which means Book of Agriculture), probably towards the end from the 12th century. Although he does not appear in any of the biographies, he is the only Andalusian agronomist mentioned by the historian Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406), and he is also noted by the early 15th-century encyclopedist Al-Qalqashandī.
However, he does not provide any additional biographical details either (García Sánchez, 1992, p. 991). The textual evidence in his treatise indicates that Ibn al-Awwam raised crops and conducted successful agricultural experiments in the Aljarafe district, west of Seville (like his predecessors Abul Khayr and Ibn Hajjaj), where he was likely an aristocratic landowner (Sánchez García 1992, p. 992).
Because that is not mentioned in any other concept's attitude, it seems likely that he devoted his life exclusively to agricultural activities, the only agronomist of Al-Andalus to do this, apart from Ibn Bassal. This is all that we know of the man.
Nevertheless, his work is the most famous of all Andalusian agronomists, as it was the first to be published and translated into a modern language—first into Spanish by Banquerí in 1802, then into French by Clément Mullet in 1864, and finally into Spanish by Claudio Ben Telón in 1878. For a long time, it was the only reference source on the agronomy medieval Al-Andalus.
In addition, it is one of the few works of this genre that has come down to us more or less complete.
Undoubtedly the most comprehensive agricultural treatise in Arabic. It brings together all the knowledge of its time regarding agriculture, horticulture, and poultry farming and animals in a vast compendium of excerpts from all previous agricultural traditions and treatises.
From 112 named authors (Ibn al-Awwam, Banquerí 1802, I, pp. 61–62), including 1,900 direct and indirect citations, 615 from Byzantine sources—particularly Cassian the Elder—and 585 from Near Eastern sources, 85% of which are from Ibn W. Ashiya, and 690 citations from earlier Andalusian agronomists (Glick 2005, pp. 12–13). To these he often adds his own observations and experiences.
Ibn al-Awwam’s treatise consists of a total of 34 chapters covering all aspects of cultivation, mentioning 585 different plants; it explains the cultivation of more than 50 fruit trees and includes many valuable observations on soils, fertilizers, grafting, and plant diseases (Sarton 1927–48, II, pp. 424–25). Ibn al-Awwam also includes an agricultural calendar, one of the few Andalusian agronomists to do so.
The final section of his work is devoted to animal husbandry, with chapters on cattle, sheep, goats, and camels, but primarily on horses, to which he devotes Chapter XXXIII, describing a total of 111 breeds, grouped by region: head (eyes, nose, mouth, and teeth), neck, torso, limbs, and internal diseases; mules and donkeys; geese, ducks, chickens, pigeons, peacocks, and beekeeping.
