Persia

The Persian material in this chapter is first and foremost to be considered in the light of the larger evolution of Islamic traditions of travel-writing from the 8th century onwards. The Muslim tradition of rihla – the Arabic term that designates both the travel and its account – is intimately related to the ideal of talab al-‘ilm – seeking (religious) knowledge – developing as the Islamic empire spread in the early centuries of Islam. Travel-writing gradually takes shape in this context through records of transmission of hadîths and khabars – collected sayings and actions of the Prophet and holy figures – reported and discussed by lineages of mediators sought after in the course of the scholar’s journey and inventoried by him. The early genres of the risâla – epistle – and mu‘jam – (mostly geographical) dictionary – also offer glimpses of individual experiences gathered from journeys of pilgrimage, scholarly study, or trade over the vast physical expanse of the dar al-islâm – land of faith. The genre of individual travel account in Arabic is generally considered to have reached its full autonomy by the 12th century.

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