Rihla

The Rihla
	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	Print

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.

^ Netton, I.R., “Riḥla”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 12 July 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_6298
^ Dunn, Ross E. (2005). The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the 14th Century. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. p. 4.
^ as-Saffar, Muhammad (1992). Miller, Susan Gilson (ed.). Disorienting Encounters: Travels of a Moroccan Scholar in France in 1845-1846. The Voyage of Muhammad As-Saffar. Berkeley: University of California Press.
^ al-Tahtawi, Rifa'a Rafi' (2012). An Imam in Paris: Account of a Stay in France by an Egyptian Cleric (1826-1831). Translated by Newman, Daniel L. Saqi Books.

[:0-1] Netton, I.R., “Riḥla”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 12 July 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_6298

[2] Dunn, Ross E. (2005). The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the 14th Century. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. p. 4.

[3] s-Saffar, Muhammad (1992). Miller, Susan Gilson (ed.). Disorienting Encounters: Travels of a Moroccan Scholar in France in 1845-1846. The Voyage of Muhammad As-Saffar. Berkeley: University of California Press.

[4] -Tahtawi, Rifa'a Rafi' (2012). An Imam in Paris: Account of a Stay in France by an Egyptian Cleric (1826-1831). Translated by Newman, Daniel L. Saqi Books.

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