Near Eastern Studies Lecture

Björn Bentlage, Orientalisches Institut, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg 

A rare find from the late Mamluk period offers new insights into the origins of a literary form and practice which, over the next centuries, would continue to develop into an important and many-faceted genre tradition in the Mashreq. Whereas the Arabic travelogue is usually associated with a long line of Maghrebi scholars heading East, the production of travel descriptions in the Mashreq, in contrast, has in general received less scrutiny, and today’s knowledge of its contours and beginnings remain vague. Now, the (re-)discovery of an anonymous hajj account from the late 15^th/9^th century, which I believe to be the so far oldest extant travelogue from the East, opens up a window on the earliest phases of literary Arabic travel writing in the Mashreq, just as it sheds more light on the cultural context of the period. Setting out from Mecca in 1481, the travelogue’s narrative finally arrives in the scholarly scene of late Mamluk Damascus, featuring its own variegated selection from Arabic literary tradition along the way. The lecture will throw a spotlight on the manuscript text itself, and it will emphasize those aspects of its form and content that could make it a valuable source for other researchers interested in the period and literary history.  

Register in advance here. After registering, you will receive an email containing information about joining the event.