![]() Historic copy of selected parts of The Rihla by Ibn Battuta, 1836 CE, Cairo | |
Author | Ibn Battuta |
---|---|
Original title | تحفة النظار في غرائب الأمصار وعجائب الأسفار |
Language | Arabic |
Subject | Geography, Exploration |
Genre | Travelogue |
Publication date | 1355 |
Publication place | Morocco |
Media type |
Riḥla (Arabic: رحلة) refers to both a journey and the written account of that journey, or travelogue. It constitutes a genre of Arabic literature. Associated with the medieval Islamic notion of "travel in search of knowledge" (الرحلة في طلب العلم), the riḥla as a genre of medieval and early-modern Arabic literature usually describes a journey taken with the intent of performing the Hajj, but can include an itinerary that vastly exceeds that original route.[1] The classical riḥla in medieval Arabic travel literature, like those written by Ibn Battuta (known commonly as The Rihla) and Ibn Jubayr, includes a description of the "personalities, places, governments, customs, and curiosities" experienced by the traveler, and usually within the boundaries of the Muslim world.[2] However, the term rihla can be applied to other Arabic travel narratives describing journeys taken for reasons other than pilgrimage; for instance, the 19th–century riḥlas of Muhammad as-Saffar[3] and Rifa'a al-Tahtawi[4] both follow conventions of the riḥla genre by recording not only the journey to France from Morocco and Egypt, respectively, but also their experiences and observations.
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