Disorienting Encounters: Travels of a Moroccan Scholar in France in 1845-1846. The Voyage of Muhammad As-SaffarIn 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. |
Contents
ONE Prologue | 73 |
TWO Our Journey by Land from Marseille | 88 |
THREE The City of Paris | 123 |
FOUR Their Food and Customs at the Table | 162 |
Sources and Selected Bibliography | 223 |
| 235 | |
| 243 | |
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Common terms and phrases
AAE/CPM Abd al-Qādir Abd Allāh Abd ar-Raḥmān Abū Aḥmad al-Fāsī al-Manūnī Algeria ambassador animals Arabic Archives arrived aş-Şaffar Ash'ash at-Tahṭāwī Beaumier Bibliothèque bridge called cannon carriages carts Casablanca century Chasteau cloth court Dozy edited Egypt embassy enter everything France French glass governor Guide Michelin Guizot Hadith hand horses huge Ibn Khaldun Ibn Zaydān Iftikāk inside iron Islam Jesus journey King Koran L'Illustration L'or land Laroui leave Léon Roches letters Maghrib Makhzan Maroc marocain Marrakesh Marseille Météore Miège Minister Moroccan Morocco mosque Muḥammad Mulay Muqaddimah Muslim night palace Paris passed piece plants port Port-Vendres Prophet Rabat riḥla river riyāls road Roches royal servant ship shops sides social someone sources Spanish stay Sultan Takhlīṣ Tangier Tetuan things tion Toulon town Translated trees ulema vols voyage whoever women wood words write