DOCSLIB.ORG

Middle Eastern Literatures Between Ibn Baūa and Al-Ahāwī: Arabic

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Middle Eastern Literatures Between Ibn Baūa and Al-Ahāwī: Arabic This article was downloaded by: [Universita Ca' Foscari Venezia - Sistema Bibliotecario Ateneo] On: 22 March 2015, At: 10:43 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Middle Eastern Literatures Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/came20 Between Ibn Baūa and al-ahāwī: Arabic Travel Accounts of the Early Ottoman Period Hilary Kilpatrick Published online: 10 Sep 2008. To cite this article: Hilary Kilpatrick (2008) Between Ibn Baūa and al-ahāwī: Arabic Travel Accounts of the Early Ottoman Period, Middle Eastern Literatures, 11:2, 233-248, DOI: 10.1080/14752620802223830 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14752620802223830 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms- and-conditions Middle Eastern Literatures, Vol. 11, No. 2, August 2008 Between Ibn Battuta and al-Tahtaw ı: Arabic Travel Accounts of the_ Early_ _ Ottoman˙ Period_ HILARY KILPATRICK Abstract This article offers a preliminary survey of a neglected genre, Arabic travel accounts from the early Ottoman period. It proposes to classify known texts according to the traveller’s aim: pilgrimage, spiritual initiation, diplomacy, requests for support, commerce, and private reasons. It draws attention to issues such as the writer’s milieu, the level of language used, and the relation of the time when the account was composed to the time when the journey took place. Finally, it argues for further comprehensive study of the genre, in both the Maghrib and the Mashriq and among both Christians and Muslims. Introduction One of the most exciting developments in recent research on Arabic literature has been the growing interest in what was for a long time labelled the ‘Age of Decadence’. In the volume of the Cambridge History of Arabic Literature devoted to the post-classical period,1 a milestone in this process, Roger Allen and his co-editor Donald Richards brought together some valuable contributions adopting new approaches to the period and discussing hitherto unknown texts. This preliminary survey of Arabic travel accounts in the early Ottoman period (i.e. from the late 1500s to 1800) is intended as a modest supplement to that volume and above all a stimulus to further investigation. As will become clear, there is a wealth of travel writing in this period. An adequate approach to it would require both more space than is available here and a team of researchers, such as produced the volume on autobiography in the Arabic literary tradition.2 The ideas in this paper can only serve as notes for the subject. In assembling them, I have drawn on writings from various regions of the Arab world and several religious communities. The criterion for inclusion is that they be written in Arabic of some variety or other, fusha, dialect or one of the many intermediate stages between the ˙˙ two. Not all the texts mentioned were available to me for consultation: some are still Downloaded by [Universita Ca' Foscari Venezia - Sistema Bibliotecario Ateneo] at 10:43 22 March 2015 unpublished, and others are not to be found in the libraries I have used. In such cases I have been obliged to depend on secondary sources, as will be clear. Following a Hilary Kilpatrick, 155 avenue de Cour, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland. E-mail: Jacobus.Waardenburg@ unil.ch ISSN 1475-262X print/ISSN 1475-2638 online/08/020233-16 Ó 2008 Taylor & Francis DOI: 10.1080/14752620802223830 234 H. Kilpatrick time-honoured convention, I invite readers to correct and supplement the information given here, thus earning the gratitude of posterity. I understand travel accounts as first-person narratives3 of actual journeys made for a variety of purposes.4 Although they can be classified according to different criteria (e.g. narrator’s profession or religion, places visited5), the preliminary grouping adopted here is based on the explicit aim of the journey. It may turn out later, however, that other classifications will be more useful, since the texts within each group vary widely. Nor are the categories entirely clear-cut, because authors of travel accounts often have more than one aim in mind both when travelling and when writing.6 The aims distinguished are: (1) pilgrimage; (2) spiritual initiation and nourishment; (3) diplomatic missions; (4) requests for positions or financial support; (5) trade; (6) private reasons.7 Pilgrimage Accounts Before the days of mass tourism, pilgrimages were the voluntary journeys most widely undertaken, in particular in the Muslim world, where the hajj is obligatory for all believers who have the means to perform it. There is an extensive corpus of accounts of pilgrimages in Arabic, and the early Ottoman period is no exception. And whereas other journeys were undertaken by members of specific socio-economic groups—diplomats, ‘ulama’ , merchants, men of letters—anyone could go on the pilgrimage, and anyone literate could set down his experience of it. Pilgrims from different regions of the Arab world tended to respond to what they saw in different ways. To Moroccans, the eastern Arab world was foreign parts.8 For instance, Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Fası (d.1213/1799), whose Rihla is written in a ˙ ˙ ˙ straightforward and accessible style, provides valuable information on the countries he passed through and notes differences between the customs of eastern Arabs and those of the folks back home ‘fı Maghribina’ (in our Maghreb).9 An earlier pilgrim, Ahmad ibn ˙ Muhammad ibn Nasir al-Dar‘ı (d.1129/1717), also employs an unpretentious style and ˙ ˙ is a keen observer. His account even includes the bombardment by a European fleet of Tripoli, which he was passing through at the time; despite the dangerous situation, he records in an objective tone the ships opening fire, the noise of the explosions and the damage caused by the cannon.10 Through their travels, these and other Moroccan travellers became more conscious of their distinct identity and of their place in the Mediterranean world, including the threats to which they were exposed from hostile European powers. Most authors of pilgrimage accounts were Sufis and religious scholars, and their rihlas ˙ are designed partly to emphasize this and enhance their reputation, through both the events and encounters they describe and the style they employ. Another Moroccan, Abu Salim ‘Abdallah al-‘Ayyashı (d.1090/1679), who made the hajj three times and taught for a time in Medina, left an extensive account of his travels, Ma’ al-Mawa’id (Table Water).11 Stylistically more elaborate than the two preceding texts, this rihla combines ˙ Downloaded by [Universita Ca' Foscari Venezia - Sistema Bibliotecario Ateneo] at 10:43 22 March 2015 observations of a Moroccan in the East with accounts of meetings and discussions with mystics and fellow ‘ulama’ in historic centres of learning such as Cairo, Mecca and Medina and notes on the libraries he visited on his way.12 The best known and most studied of such scholars’ pilgrimage rihlas are those by the ˙ Syrian ‘Abd al-Ghanı al-Nabulusı (1050–1143/1641–1731), jurist, man of letters and renowned mystic. Al-Nabulusı seems to have enjoyed travelling, for he left accounts of four journeys, his pilgrimages to Jerusalem and to the Holy Cities of the Hijaz (this latter Between Ibn Battuta and al-Tahtaw ı 235 __ _ _ _ combined with a visit to Cairo) and two short trips he made to Lebanon.13 Profoundly conscious of the religious significance of place, he regards bilad al-sham (geographical Syria) as a land of saints and pious people and as a burial place of prophets second only to the Hijaz.14 Although he divides his texts according to individual days, he does not describe in detail the places he passes through; he focuses his attention on the gatherings he attends of fellow mystics and scholars, meetings with majadh ıb (‘fools of God’), and visits to shrines and tombs of saints. Al-Nabulusı was steeped in Arabic literature and profoundly knowledgeable about Islamic tradition and law, and his rihalat , in rhymed ˙ prose with frequent passages of poetry, bear witness to his faith, his learning and literary and poetic gifts and the respect he enjoyed among scholars and mystics in the places he visited. Whereas al-Nabulusı was free to journey when he liked, the Iraqi ‘alim ‘Abdallah ibn al-Husayn al-Suwaydı (1104–1174/1692–1761)15 undertook the pilgrimage only with ˙ the permission of the Ottoman governor of Baghdad after he had performed a signal service for him, playing a leading role in the discussions with Shi‘i scholars about Nadir Shah’s demand in 1156/1743 for recognition of the Ja‘farı madhhab alongside the four Sunni ones.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Past, Present, and Future FIFTY YEARS of ANTHROPOLOGY in SUDAN
    Past, present, and future FIFTY YEARS OF ANTHROPOLOGY IN SUDAN Munzoul A. M. Assal Musa Adam Abdul-Jalil Past, present, and future FIFTY YEARS OF ANTHROPOLOGY IN SUDAN Munzoul A. M. Assal Musa Adam Abdul-Jalil FIFTY YEARS OF ANTHROPOLOGY IN SUDAN: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE Copyright © Chr. Michelsen Institute 2015. P.O. Box 6033 N-5892 Bergen Norway [email protected] Printed at Kai Hansen Trykkeri Kristiansand AS, Norway Cover photo: Liv Tønnessen Layout and design: Geir Årdal ISBN 978-82-8062-521-2 Contents Table of contents .............................................................................iii Notes on contributors ....................................................................vii Acknowledgements ...................................................................... xiii Preface ............................................................................................xv Chapter 1: Introduction Munzoul A. M. Assal and Musa Adam Abdul-Jalil ......................... 1 Chapter 2: The state of anthropology in the Sudan Abdel Ghaffar M. Ahmed .................................................................21 Chapter 3: Rethinking ethnicity: from Darfur to China and back—small events, big contexts Gunnar Haaland ........................................................................... 37 Chapter 4: Strategic movement: a key theme in Sudan anthropology Wendy James ................................................................................ 55 Chapter 5: Urbanisation and social change in the Sudan Fahima Zahir El-Sadaty ................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Translating Emirati Dialect in Dramatic Texts
    TRANSLATING EMIRATI DIALECT IN DRAMATIC TEXTS A THESIS IN TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING (ARABIC/ENGLISH/ARABIC) Presented to the Faculty of the American University of Sharjah College of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF ARTS by NUHA MATAR MARZOOQ KHAMIS B.A.1990 Sharjah, UAE MAY 2007 © 2007 NUHA MATAR MARZOOQ KHAMIS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TRANSLATING EMIRATI DIALECT IN DRAMATIC TEXTS Nuha Matar Marzooq Khamis, Candidate for Master of Arts Degree American University of Sharjah, 2007 ABSTRACT In this dissertation, the issue of translating the dramatic texts of the United Arab Emirates into English is discussed, and the translation of sub-genres (poetic diction - fairy tales) in a form of a dialect as a means of characterizing the persona is further examined. The thesis deals with the UAE dialect used in dramatic texts and its translation with emphasis on stylistic and pragmatic aspects. It is generally assumed that in translating and analyzing dramatic texts written in a certain Arabic dialect, the process would be the same as that used to approach other prose texts. That is the translation would be presented in Standard English, with the tendency to ignore the performability and speakability characteristics that dramatic texts exhibit. In this dissertation, this assumption is examined and put forward. Chapter 1, the introduction, posits that the folkloric theatre as a genre of literature is generally neglected in translation studies. There is but a little tendency to discuss the special problems of translating dramatic texts written in dialects. In Chapter 2, an overview of the theoretical background to translation studies is presented; starting with the definition of translation studies, and then considering prominent theories from Vinay and Darbelnet up to today.
    [Show full text]
  • Where Do the Multi-Religious Origins of Islam Lie? a Topological Approach to a Wicked Problem
    9 (2019) Article 6: 165-210 Where Do the Multi-Religious Origins of Islam Lie? A Topological Approach to a Wicked Problem MANFRED SING Leibniz Institute of European History, Mainz, Germany This contribution to Entangled Religions is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC BY 4.0 International). The license can be accessed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. Entangled Religions 9 (2019) http://doi.org/10.13154/er.v9.2019.165–210 Where Do the Multi-Religious Origins of Islam Lie? Where Do the Multi-Religious Origins of Islam Lie? A Topological Approach to a Wicked Problem MANFRED SING Leibniz Institute of European History ABSTRACT The revelation of Islam in Arabic, its emergence in the Western Arabian Peninsula, and its acquaintance with Biblical literature seem to be clear indications for Islam’s birthplace and its religious foundations. While the majority of academic scholarship accepts the historicity of the revelation in Mecca and Medina, revisionist scholars have started questioning the location of early Islam with increasing fervour in recent years. Drawing on the isolation of Mecca and the lack of clear references to Mecca in ancient and non-Muslim literature before the mid-eighth century, these scholars have cast doubt on the claim that Mecca was already a trading outpost and a pilgrimage site prior to Islam, questioning the traditional Islamic and Orientalist view. Space, thus, plays a prominent role in the debate on the origins of Islam, although space is almost never conceptually discussed. In the following paper, I challenge the limited understanding of space in revisionist as well as mainstream scholarship.
    [Show full text]
  • The Arabs of North Arabia in Later Pre-Islamic Times
    The Arabs of North Arabia in later Pre-Islamic Times: Qedar, Nebaioth, and Others A thesis submitted to The University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Humanities 2014 Marwan G. Shuaib School of Arts, Languages and Cultures 2 The Contents List of Figures ……………………………………………………………….. 7 Abstract ………………………………………………………………………. 8 Declaration …………………………………………………………………… 9 Copyright Rules ……………………………………………………………… 9 Acknowledgements .….……………………………………………………… 10 General Introduction ……………………………………………………….. 11 Chapter One: Historiography ……………………………………….. 13 1.1 What is the Historian’s Mission? ……………………………………….. 14 1.1.1 History writing ………………………...……....……………….…... 15 1.1.2 Early Egyptian Historiography …………………………………….. 15 1.1.3 Israelite Historiography ……………………………………………. 16 1.1.4 Herodotus and Greek Historiography ……………………………… 17 1.1.5 Classical Medieval Historiography …………………….…………... 18 1.1.6 The Enlightenment and Historiography …………………………… 19 1.1.7 Modern Historiography ……………………………………………. 20 1.1.8 Positivism and Idealism in Nineteenth-Century Historiography…… 21 1.1.9 Problems encountered by the historian in the course of collecting material ……………………………………………………………………… 22 1.1.10 Orientalism and its contribution ………………………………….. 24 1.2 Methodology of study …………………………………………………… 26 1.2.1 The Chronological Framework ……………………………………. 27 1.2.2 Geographical ……………………………………………………….. 27 1.3 Methodological problems in the ancient sources…...………………….. 28 1.3.1 Inscriptions ………………………………………………………… 28 1.3.2 Annals ……………………………………………………………… 30 1.3.3 Biblical sources ...…………………………………………………... 33 a. Inherent ambiguities of the Bible ……………………………… 35 b. Is the Bible history at all? ……………………………………… 35 c. Difficulties in the texts …………………………………………. 36 3 1.4 Nature of the archaeological sources …………………………………... 37 1.4.1 Medieval attitudes to Antiquity ……………………………………. 37 1.4.2 Archaeology during the Renaissance era …………………………... 38 1.4.3 Archaeology and the Enlightenment ………………………………. 39 1.4.4 The nineteenth century and the history of Biblical archaeology…….
    [Show full text]
  • 2010-11 Annual Report
    2010-11 Annual Report 2010-11 Annual Report, Institute for Global Leadership, Tufts University 1 2 2010-11 Annual Report, Institute for Global Leadership, Tufts University Institute for Global Leadership 2010-11 Annual Report 2010-11 Annual Report, Institute for Global Leadership, Tufts University 3 4 2010-11 Annual Report, Institute for Global Leadership, Tufts University Table of Contents Mission Statement // 7 IGL Programs // 8 The Year in Numbers // 13 Transitions // 14 EPIIC // 16 Global Research, Internships, and Conferences // 32 Inquiry // 35 Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Awards // 42 TILIP // 48 INSPIRE // 51 BUILD // 53 NIMEP // 60 EXPOSURE // 66 Engineers Without Borders // 69 Tufts Energy Conference // 71 ALLIES // 75 Synaptic Scholars // 83 Empower // 93 RESPE // 99 Discourse // 100 PPRI // 101 Collaborations // 105 School of Engineering // 105 Project on Justice in Times of Transition // 106 GlobalPost // 107 Alumni Programs // 110 Sisi ni Amani // 110 Collaborative Transitions Africa // 112 New Initiatives // 114 Oslo Scholars Program // 114 Program on Narrative and Documentary Practice // 117 Solar for Gaza and Sderot // 121 Gerald R Gill Oral History Prize // 130 Curriculum Development // 131 Academic Awards // 136 Benefactors // 138 External Advisory Board // 147 2010-11 Annual Report, Institute for Global Leadership, Tufts University 5 6 2010-11 Annual Report, Institute for Global Leadership, Tufts University MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University is to prepare new generations of critical thinkers for effective and ethical leadership, ready to act as global citizens in addressing the world’s most pressing problems. In 2005, IGL was designated as a university cross-school program with the objective of enhancing the interdisciplin- ary quality and engaged nature of a Tufts education and serving as an incubator of innovative ways to help students understand and engage difficult and compelling global issues.
    [Show full text]
  • 97Th Annual Honors Convocation
    97TH ANNUAL HONORS CONVOCATION MARCH 15, 2020 2:00 P.M. HILL AUDITORIUM This year marks the 97th Honors Convocation held at the University of Michigan since the first was instituted on May 13, 1924, by President Marion LeRoy Burton. On these occasions, the University publicly recognizes and commends the undergraduate students in its schools and colleges who have earned distinguished academic records or have excelled as leaders in the community. It is with great pride that the University honors those students who have most clearly and effectively demonstrated academic excellence, dynamic leadership, and inspirational volunteerism. The Honors Convocation ranks with the Commencement Exercises as among the most important ceremonies of the University year. The names of the students who are honored for outstanding achievement this year appear in this program. They include all students who have earned University Honors in both Winter 2019 and Fall 2019, plus all seniors who have earned University Honors in either Winter 2019 or Fall 2019. The William J. Branstrom Freshman Prize recipients are listed, as well – recognizing first year undergraduate students whose academic achievement during their first semester on campus place them in the upper five percent of their school or college class. James B. Angell Scholars – students who receive all “A” grades over consecutive terms – are given a special place in the program. In addition, the student speaker is recognized individually for exemplary contributions to the University community. To all honored students, and to their parents, the University extends its hearty congratulations. Susan M. Collins • Acting Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Honored Students Honored Faculty Faculty Colleagues and Friends of the University It is a pleasure to welcome you to the 97th University of Michigan Honors Convocation.
    [Show full text]
  • Aram and Israel, Or, the Aramaeans in Syria and Mesopotamia
    ARAM AND ISRAEL COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS SALES AGENTS NEW YORK LEMCKE & BUECHNER 30-32 West 27th Street LONDON HUMPHREY MILFORD Amen Corner, E.G. SHANQHAI EDWARD EVANS & SONS, Ltd. 30 North Szechuen Road li/j-- k ^kart^ah • Manl-:>i (l/rf//'i) lLJ)IL35)f^ (''*«•' (^'>'-) NisiiiJ \CMlCt1LMI5ir^^"^¥*"«'\ •HMTt Tt-l/ftJJif ^«'y-</M-oJ 'i'^i'I BuraT-t '•/' *H(i^I.I3.l NlNtVtft" I 4-3 1 Hj! A^ •NAf 1H-D1MNN^ fKtKl (dSfix) OPHMK but. KMUN\KMLlN\y V J MAP or WDTLR.N MDOPOTAMIA ^% ^' ?'"t5" R.K?lQ.Vv vtVi vi ^^ 3 Y 1 1 A ,V G UPPER. 3Y«.IA LOWER. SYRIA. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ORIENTAL STUDIES Vol. XIII AKAM AND ISRAEL OR THE ARAMAEANS IN SYRIA AND MESOPOTAMIA BY EMIL G. H. KRAELING, Ph.D. il2eto ^otik COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS 1918 All rights reserved 1 Copyright, 1918 Bt Golumbza Univbbsitt Prbss Printed from type, March, 1918 05 NOTE Gradually the tangled skein of the early history of Western Asia is being unwound. Through excavations on the one hand and intensive study of the received documents on the other, the relation is being understood born by the various peoples and races to one another; and Hght is being thrown upon the forces that played in the great historic drama that history has unrolled for us in this part of the world. Our own interest in this history is certain; for whatsoever we are and whatsoever we possess comes to us from the Eastern half of the Mediterranean Sea. The Coast and the Hinterland of that Sea have played a pre- ponderating part in determining the influence that was supreme there.
    [Show full text]
  • Manichaean Gnosis and Creation Myth
    SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS Number 156 July, 2005 Manichaean Gnosis and Creation Myth by Abolqasen Esmailpour Victor H. Mair, Editor Sino-Platonic Papers Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305 USA [email protected] www.sino-platonic.org SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS FOUNDED 1986 Editor-in-Chief VICTOR H. MAIR Associate Editors PAULA ROBERTS MARK SWOFFORD ISSN 2157-9679 (print) 2157-9687 (online) SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS is an occasional series dedicated to making available to specialists and the interested public the results of research that, because of its unconventional or controversial nature, might otherwise go unpublished. The editor-in-chief actively encourages younger, not yet well established, scholars and independent authors to submit manuscripts for consideration. Contributions in any of the major scholarly languages of the world, including romanized modern standard Mandarin (MSM) and Japanese, are acceptable. In special circumstances, papers written in one of the Sinitic topolects (fangyan) may be considered for publication. Although the chief focus of Sino-Platonic Papers is on the intercultural relations of China with other peoples, challenging and creative studies on a wide variety of philological subjects will be entertained. This series is not the place for safe, sober, and stodgy presentations. Sino- Platonic Papers prefers lively work that, while taking reasonable risks to advance the field, capitalizes on brilliant new insights into the development of civilization. Submissions are regularly sent out to be refereed, and extensive editorial suggestions for revision may be offered. Sino-Platonic Papers emphasizes substance over form. We do, however, strongly recommend that prospective authors consult our style guidelines at www.sino-platonic.org/stylesheet.doc.
    [Show full text]
  • A STUDY of the HEBREW TEXT of PSALM 132 a Thesis Presented In
    A STUDY OF THE HEBREW TEXT OF PSALM 132 A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Kathryn Ruth Bartley, B.A. ***** The Ohio State University . 2004 Master's Examination Committee: Dr. Sam Meier, Adviser Dr. Rueben Ahroni Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures ABSTRACT This paper is an exegetical study of Psalm 132, the most frequently discussed psalm among the Songs of Ascents, Psalms 120-134. Psalm 132 stands out from its collection mainly in terms of its length: it is twice the length of any of the other Songs of Ascents. My intent was to compile past and present scholarship and research on this particular psalm and provide a state of the field survey of the psalm. The title over each psalm of the collection, šīr hamma ‘ălōt, is typically seen as the key to understanding the Songs of Ascents as a whole, and thus each psalm individually. In this study, I provide a history of interpretation of the collection and a summary of the early interpretation of Psalm 132. While not certain, it seems that Psalm 132 and the remainder of the šīrē hamma ‘ălōt were pilgrimage songs of some sort. This paper then provides a thorough exegetical study of Psalm 132. I mention problematic and anomalous words and phrases, and provide possible solutions. Whenever possible, the Hebrew Bible and other ancient near eastern texts are used to clarify words and concepts in the psalm. A translation is proposed based upon this study.
    [Show full text]
  • Arabia and the Arabs
    ARABIA AND THE ARABS Long before Muhammad preached the religion of Islam, the inhabitants of his native Arabia had played an important role in world history as both merchants and warriors. Arabia and the Arabs provides the only up-to-date, one-volume survey of the region and its peoples from prehistory to the coming of Islam. Using a wide range of sources – inscriptions, poetry, histories and archaeological evidence – Robert Hoyland explores the main cultural areas of Arabia, from ancient Sheba in the south to the deserts and oases of the north. He then examines the major themes of: •the economy • society •religion •art, architecture and artefacts •language and literature •Arabhood and Arabisation. The volume is illustrated with more than fifty photographs, drawings and maps. Robert G. Hoyland has been a research fellow of St John’s College, Oxford since 1994. He is the author of Seeing Islam As Others Saw It and several articles on the history of the Middle East. He regularly conducts fieldwork in the region. ARABIA AND THE ARABS From the Bronze Age to the coming of Islam Robert G. Hoyland London and New York First published 2001 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002. © 2001 Robert G. Hoyland All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
    [Show full text]
  • Jewish-Muslim Veneration at Pilgrimage Places in the Holy Land
    RELIGION and the ARTS Religion and the Arts 15 (2011) 1–60 brill.nl/rart Jewish-Muslim Veneration at Pilgrimage Places in the Holy Land Pamela Berger Boston College Abstract For millennia human communities have designated certain sites as sacred and nowhere more so than in the Holy Land. The Bible records that Canaanites worshipped in “high places,” and the prophets railed against the Israelites for continuing the practice. Jesus cas- tigated the Pharisees for adorning the tombs of the prophets. When Jews were expelled from Jerusalem, those who remained on the land did not abandon their devotion to the holy sites. When the Muslims arrived they continued the practice of visiting the tombs of those figures mentioned in both the Bible and the Quran. Throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern period Muslims and Jews wrote about their visits to these jointly- venerated tombs. Jews made illustrated scrolls, wall hangings, and other works of art depict- ing these sites, representing the shrines with prominent Islamic crescents on top, an indication that Jewish viewers felt no discomfort at the use of this iconography. The Jewish valorization of the Islamic crescent atop shrines common to Jews and Muslims reflects a relationship very different from that existing between the two cultures today. Keywords pilgrimage, tombs, shrines, Holy Land, Jewish arts and crafts or millennia human communities worldwide have designated springs, Fwells, trees, groves, mountains, and caves as sacred, and perhaps nowhere more so than in the Holy Land. At these sites people would erect their shrines and placate their gods or goddesses.
    [Show full text]
  • Identity and History in a Sudanese Arab Tribe
    Durham E-Theses The Lahawiyin: Identity and History in a Sudanese Arab Tribe AHMED-KHALID-ABDALLA, TAMADOR How to cite: AHMED-KHALID-ABDALLA, TAMADOR (2010) The Lahawiyin: Identity and History in a Sudanese Arab Tribe, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/707/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 The Lahawiyin: Identity and History in a Sudanese Arab Tribe Tamador Ahmed Khalid Abdalla Thesis submitted For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History Durham University December 2010 I The Lahawiyin: Identity and History in a Sudanese Arab Tribe Tamador Ahmed Khalid Abdalla Abstract This thesis is concerned with the Lahawiyin of northern Sudan, and it explores the relationship between identity and history in this Sudanese Arab tribe since the late nineteenth century. The history of the Lahawiyin reveals continuous crossings of borders and boundaries through a period of substantial political and economic change, much of it driven by external forces.
    [Show full text]