Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Disorienting Encounters: Travels of a Moroccan Scholar in France in 1845-1846. the Voyage of Muhammad As-Saffar Volume 14

Disorienting Encounters: Travels of a Moroccan Scholar in France in 1845-1846. the Voyage of Muhammad As-Saffar Volume 14

Miller, Susan Gilson
As-Saffar, Muhammed
Miller, Susan Gilson

Paperback

Series: Comparative Studies on Muslim Societies, Book 14

Biographies GeneralGeneral European HistoryGeneral Middle Eastern History

ISBN10: 0520074629
ISBN13: 9780520074620
Publisher: Univ Of California Pr
Published: Feb 14 1992
Pages: 264
Weight: 0.81
Height: 0.68 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.08
Language: English
In December of 1845, Muhammad as-Saffar was sent by the reigning Moroccan sultan on a special diplomatic mission to Paris. During the journey, as-Saffar took careful notes and upon his return he hurriedly wrote this travel account.

Why was the sultan, descendent of the Prophet Muhammad, and head of a dynasty that had ruled Morocco for more than two hundred years, so eager to read this account? Perhaps he thought it would illuminate some troubling matters: how the French acquired their power and their mastery over nature; how they led their daily lives, educated their children, treated their women and servants. In short, the sultan wanted to know the condition of French civilization and why it differed from his. As-Saffar provided the answers.

Moreover, as we read the account, Muhammad as-Saffar comes alive for us. We see him reflecting on the beauty of women, contorting during his ritual ablutions, and suffering from boredom at endless dinners. His opinions and ideas infuse every page. For him the journey was more than a catalog of curiosities; it was a transforming experience. Given our very limited knowledge of the time and the absence of other voices that speak with equal clarity, this travel account enlarges our understanding of the relationship between nineteenth-century Morocco and France.

Also in

Biographies General

View All