Arab writers such as Al-Masudi of Baghdad (896–956 CE), Muhammad al-Idrisi (1100–1165 CE), Abulfeda (1273–1331 CE), and Al-Dimashqi (1256–1327 CE) mention the Muslim communities in Kerala.[93] Some historians assume that the Mappilas can be considered as the first native, settled Muslim community in South Asia.[94][95] The known earliest mention about Muslims of Kerala is in the Quilon Syrian copper plates.[96]