On the Margins of the Nahda: The Life and Intellectual World of Muhammad 'Ayyad al-Tantawi The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Halaby, Gregory. 2019. On the Margins of the Nahda: The Life and Intellectual World of Muhammad 'Ayyad al-Tantawi. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:42029647 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA On the Margins of the Nahda: The Life and Intellectual World of Muhammad ‘Ayyad al-Tantawi A dissertation presented by Gregory Halaby to The Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations (NELC) in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts April 2019 © 2019 Gregory Halaby All rights reserved. Dissertation Advisor: William Granara Gregory Halaby On the Margins of the Nahda: The Life and Intellectual World of Muhammad ‘Ayyad al-Tantawi ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the life and intellectual world of the Egyptian scholar and teacher Muḥammad ‘Ayyād al-Ṭanṭāwī (1810–1861). In Egypt, al-Ṭanṭāwī collaborated with a scholarly network of European orientalists and Egyptian ‘ulamā’ in the process of excavating the Arabic literary past in the Ottoman context of Mehmed Ali’s rule. As a result of the reputation he garnered as a teacher, al-Ṭanṭāwī was offered a position to teach Arabic in Saint Petersburg at the age of 30. He would remain in the Russian metropolis for the rest of his life, ascending in orientalist circles. To understand how al-Ṭanṭāwī came to be invited to Saint Petersburg and how he was received in his new home, this dissertation traces key figures and discourses in the development of Russian Oriental Studies in the first half of the 19th century. Furthermore, this dissertation decenters Rifā‘a Rāfi‘ al-Ṭahṭāwī’s enduring legacy in Nahḍa Studies by placing his riḥla (travelogue) in dialogue with that of al-Ṭanṭāwī, and probing their intertextual relationship. In contrast to Rifā‘a, who was a student constrained by Parisian institutional regimentation, al-Ṭanṭāwī penned his manuscript as a professor of Arabic in Saint Petersburg. While both sought to effect reform, al-Ṭanṭāwī’s vision is more firmly rooted in his own observations and in curiosity about the cultures he encountered than that of Rifā‘a. In analyzing al-Ṭanṭāwī’s life and writings, specifically his travelogue and Arabic language learning book, this dissertation brings into relief a road not taken for the Nahḍa, forged on its margins. iii Acknowledgements It is a great pleasure to extend my gratitude to the many people who helped shape me and this project. When I began this PhD, I had planned to write about the development of classical Arabic literary theory and criticism with the late Wolfhart Heinrichs. I benefited immensely from his vast knowledge and meticulous rigor. I have tremendous gratitude for my advisor, William Granara, who kindly took me on as his student. His insight and guidance opened many doors for me intellectually, and he connected me with many opportunities. As an advisor, he read my drafts and translations carefully and thoughtfully and provided me with crucial feedback. As a human, he taught me about other matters too, such as, hospitality, food culture, and, most of all, loyalty. I thank my committee members, Khaled Fahmy and Margaret Litvin, for their insight, support, and feedback. Over many hours of conversation in Harvard Square, Khaled Fahmy spurred my excitement and animated my project in its early phases and beyond. Margaret Litvin propelled my work forward with enthusiasm that is contagious. My first teachers of Arabic at AUC deserve special mention for teaching me—as a wide- eyed 18 year old—the language of my heritage, including Lisa White, Shahira Yacout, and Dalal Abo El Seoud; and later in CASA, Heba Salem, Nadia Harb, Kamal Al-Ekhnawy, and Nevenka Korica-Sullivan. At UC Berkeley, I thank my teachers Margaret Larkin, Muhammad Siddiq, and John Hayes for their wise words and encouragement to pursue a PhD. I am also thankful for the supportive and formative friendships forged at the NES Student Association at Berkeley, including Rachel Marks, Abdulwahid Duso, and Jonathan Hopwood. I owe a special thank you to Kaj Öhrnberg at the University of Helsinki for graciously sending me several rolls of microfilm that contain much of al-Tantawi’s manuscript collection. I am very grateful for Suzanne Smith’s prompt and helpful feedback on my drafts. I thank Sarah Unninayar for eagerly translating several Russian newspaper articles for me. Ernest Mitchell, Ceyhun Arslan, Mostafa Hefny, Karol Malik, Marcos Benedetti, and Kevin Novell nourished me with acumen and good cheer along this winding road. I am grateful for the support I received from Han Hsien Liew, Avigail Noy, Ali Alibhai, Allison Blecker, Kathryn Schwartz, Tom Odell, Kirsten Wesselhoeft, Arafat Razzaque, Mary Elston, Dominic Longo, and Hanaa Ernest, as well as David, Bruce, Kendrick, and Cindy, in addition to the participants and organizers of the MEBB and ARW workshops. To my parents and two brothers, thank you for giving me the loving support, consistency, and freedom to explore the world curiously. To Olivia Moseley, I have unbounding gratitude. You helped me though my worst, and lovingly celebrated my best. Thank you for your steadfast kindness and heartfelt empathy. Gregory Halaby May 2019 iv Table of Contents Introduction...............................................................................................................................2 Al-Tantawi and his Legacy ..........................................................................................5 Chapter Summaries ......................................................................................................8 Chapter I: Al-Tantawi’s Intellectual Formation in Egypt (1810–1840) ................................ 12 Introduction: Coming of Age in Mehmed Ali’s Egypt ................................................ 12 Tanta ......................................................................................................................... 17 Cairo.......................................................................................................................... 25 Refusing to Serve the Pasha ....................................................................................... 31 Conclusion................................................................................................................. 41 Chapter II: The Excavation of the Past: Al-Tantawi and the Orientalists in Egypt ............ 43 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 43 Fulgence Fresnel and the Search for the Pre-Islamic Arabian Past.............................. 44 Edward Lane’s Egyptian Nights ................................................................................. 53 Conclusion................................................................................................................. 67 Chapter III: Seek Knowledge, even in Russia ........................................................................ 71 Introduction to a Rarely Read Riḥla (Travelogue) ...................................................... 71 Situating the 19th Century Arabic Riḥla ...................................................................... 74 Background to the Travelogues .................................................................................. 78 Comparing the Travelogues ....................................................................................... 80 Delineating and Enacting Societal Advancement (taqaddum) .................................. 100 Conclusion: A Letter to Rifā‘a ................................................................................. 105 Chapter IV: Al-Tantawi in Russia: Ascent in Orientalist Circles ....................................... 110 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 110 The Development of Russian Orientology................................................................ 111 Coming to Russia..................................................................................................... 121 Professing Arabic in Saint Petersburg: ..................................................................... 131 Conclusion: ............................................................................................................. 149 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 151 Appendix I: Translation of al-Tantawi’s Autobiography .......................................... 154 Appendix II: Al-Tantawi in the Newspaper .............................................................. 162 Appendix III: Al-Tantawi’s Response ...................................................................... 164 Bibliography: ......................................................................................................................... 166 v Table of Figures Figure I: Muḥammad ‘Ayyād al-Ṭanṭāwī