An Imam In Paris: Al-Tahtawi's Visit To France 1826-1831

An Imam In Paris: Al-Tahtawi's Visit To France 1826-1831

by Rifa'a Rafi' al-Tahtawi, Daniel L. Newman
ISBN-10:
0863564070
ISBN-13:
9780863564079
Pub. Date:
12/13/2011
Publisher:
Saqi Books
ISBN-10:
0863564070
ISBN-13:
9780863564079
Pub. Date:
12/13/2011
Publisher:
Saqi Books
An Imam In Paris: Al-Tahtawi's Visit To France 1826-1831

An Imam In Paris: Al-Tahtawi's Visit To France 1826-1831

by Rifa'a Rafi' al-Tahtawi, Daniel L. Newman
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Overview

"An Imam in Paris lets us share the responses of a highly intelligent scholar ... Daniel L. Newman is to be congratulated on making the first translation into English of this remarkable book, and on supporting the text with a first-class introduction and with footnotes that are as full as one could wish"—Times Literary Supplement

"A touchstone for thinking about the tangled relations between Islam and modernity ... the most amazing and entertaining curiosity"—Matthew J. Reisz, Jewish Quarterly

In the 1820s, Rifa'a Rafi' al-Tahtawi, a young Muslim cleric, travelled to Paris as a leading member of the first Egyptian educational mission, where, during a stay of five years, he documented his observations on European culture.

His account, Takhlis al-Ibriz fi Talkhis Bariz (The Quintessence of Paris), is one of the earliest and most influential records of the Muslim encounter with Enlightenment-era's European ideas, introducing ideas of modernity to his native land. Al-Tahtawi’s work offers invaluable insight into early conceptions of Europe and the "Other". His observations are as vibrant and palpable today as they were over one hundred and fifty years ago; informative and often acute, to very humorous effect.

An irrefutable classic, this new edition of the first English translation is of seminal value. It is introduced and carefully annotated by a scholar fluent in the life, times, and milieu of its narrator.

Daniel L. Newman is professor of Arabic and course director of the master's program in Arabic-English Translation and Interpreting at the University of Durham. His other works include Modern Arabic Short Stories: A Bilingual Reader (with Ronak Husni, Saqi Books, 2008).


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780863564079
Publisher: Saqi Books
Publication date: 12/13/2011
Series: Saqi Essentials
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 405
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Daniel L. Newman is Professor of Arabic and Course Director of the MA in Arabic-English Translation and Interpreting at the University of Durham. His other works include Modern Arabic Short Stories: A Bilingual Reader (with Ronak Husni, Saqi Books, 2008).

Table of Contents

Contents

 

Note on Transcription 9

Preface to the Second Edition 11

Preface13

 

Part One: Introduction

 

1.      The ‘Egyptian’ Mission to Europe17

Background17

The Students29

 

2.         Life of al-Tahtawi1

                        Auspicious Beginnings31

                        The First Exile33

                        Hasan al-Attar: An Early Reformist Alim 36

                        Return of the Prodigal Son 40

                        Teacher, Trainer, Translator, Editor (1835–49) 47

                        The Second Exile (1850–54) 53

                        Ali Mubarak: ‘The Father of Education’ (Abu’l-Ta‘lim) 56

                        al-Tahtawi the Reformer (1854–73) 68

 

3.         al-Tahtawi in Europe72

 

4.         The Book87

                        Genesis and Themes87

                        Format and Style94

 

part two: Takhlis al-Ibriz fi Talkhis Bariz

 

Preface101

 

Introduction107

First Chapter. Regarding what seemed to me to be the reason behind

our departure for this Land of Infidelity and Obstinacy, which

lies far away from us and where there are great expenses because

of the high cost of living107

Second Chapter. Regarding the required sciences and desirable skills

and crafts117

Third Chapter. On the position of the Lands of the Franks in

comparison with other countries, on the advantage the French

nation has over all other Franks, and the reason why His

Excellency decided to send us there and not to any of the other

Frank kingdoms119

Fourth Chapter. On the leaders of this mission132

 

Core of the Book135

            First Essay136

                        First Section. From the departure from Cairo to the arrival at

                                    the port of Alexandria136

                        Second Section. Treatise on this city, which is an abridgement of

                                    several Arabic and French books, from which we have retained

                                    that which appeared to be accurate136

                        Third Section. On the voyage on the sea on which the port of

                                    Alexandria lies141

                        Fourth Section. On the mountains, countries and islands we saw144

            Second Essay150

                        First Section. On our stay in the city of Marseilles150

                        Second Section. From our departure from Marseilles to the arrival

                                    in Paris and on the itinerary between the two cities162

            Third Essay163

                        First Section. On the topography of Paris; its geographical location,

                                    soil, climate and surrounding area163

                        Second Section. On the people of Paris176

                        Third Section. On the organization of the French state192

                        Fourth Section. On the housing of the people of Paris and related matters216

                        Fifth Section. On the food of the people of Paris and their eating

                                    and drinking habits222

                        Sixth Section. On the clothing of the French225

                        Seventh Section. On the entertainments of Paris228

                        Eighth Section. On hygiene in the city of Paris236

                        Ninth Section. On the interest in medical sciences in Paris237

                        Tenth Section. On charity in the city of Paris240

                        Eleventh Section. On earnings in the city of Paris and the

                                    entrepreneurial skills there245

                        Twelfth Section. On the religion of the people of Paris251

                        Thirteenth Section. On progress by the people of Paris in the sciences,

                                    arts and crafts, the way these are organized, as well as an

                                    explanation of related matters254

            Fourth Essay276

                        Introduction276

                        First Section. On the organization of instruction in reading and

                                    writing, etc., which we received at the beginning277

                        Second Section. On the supervision of our comings and goings279

                        Third Section. On how our ruler exhorted us to work and show

                                    diligence282

                        Fourth Section. On some of the letters between myself and some of

                                    the leading French scholars, other than Monsieur Jomard284

                        Fifth Section. On the books I read in the city of Paris; the nature of

                                    the exams; what Monsieur Jomard wrote to me; reports of the

                                    final exam in scholarly journals291

                        Sixth Section. On the exams I took in the city of Paris, especially the

                                    final exam before my return to Egypt300

            Fifth Essay305

                        First Section. Being an introduction in order to understand the

                                    reason why the French no longer obeyed their king306

                        Second Section. On the changes that were introduced and on

                                    the revolution tat ensued from them310

                        Third Section. On the actions of the king in this period and

                                    what happened after he agreed to a conciliation when it was too

                                    late, and his abdication in favour of his son317

                        Fourth Section. On the decision made by the Chamber of Deputies

                                    and how as a result of this revolution the Duke of Orléans was

                                    appointed king of the French320

                        Fifth Section. On what happened to the Ministers who signed the

                                    royal ordinances that caused the end of the reign of the first king,

                                    and who committed this act without thinking of the consequences

                                    and desired that which cannot be attained. As the poet says:

                                    ‘People, though their natures may differ, covet from the world

                                    that which they have not obtained’325

                        Sixth Section. On how after the revolution Charles X was scorned

                                    by the French and how it did not stop there329

                        Seventh Section. On the reaction by Frank states upon hearing of

                                    the ousting of the first king and the assignment of the kingdom

                                    to the second and on their acceptance of this332

            Sixth Essay334

                        First Section. On the division of the sciences and arts according

                                    to the Franks334

                        Second Section. On the classification of the languages as such, and

                                    the use of the French language335

                        Third Section. On the art of writing339

                        Fourth Section. On the science of rhetoric, which includes eloquence,

                                    the hidden meanings of words and stylistic embellishments342

                       

                        Fifth Section. On logic344

                        Sixth Section. On the ten categories that are attributed to Aristotle348

                        Seventh Section. On the science of arithmetic, which is called

                                    arithmétique in the language of the Franks351

 

Epilogue

            On Our Return from Paris to Egypt and a Number of Other Matters 358

 

Bibliography 379

Index 407

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