Read more
This book provides analytical study of the colonial literature of Baghdad in relation to its historiography. The history of travelogues throughout different periods of Baghdad's history is highlighted, with a specific focus on 18th and 19th centuries' travelogues.
List of contents
Contents
Illustrations v
Introduction 1
Author’s note 4
- The context of travel writing 5
- Baghdad and the Ottoman Empire 9
One name and multiple locations 9
A unique city with a mysterious history 11
The Ottoman Empire 15
The perception of Ottoman cities in historiography 16
The Mamluk’s ruling of Baghdad 20
- Travelogues and history Representation 29
Travelogues methods and attitudes 29
Travelogues and Orientalism 33
Travelogues and Islamic studies 36
Travelogues and heritage understanding 43
- Diverse travelers before the 18th Century 46
Regional travelers 46
European travelers 50
- Europeans Involvement in the 18th Century 53
Mapping Efforts of Carsten Niebuhr 54
The Novels of Guillaume Antoine Olivier 60
- British Intervention Intensifies 66
The Arabian Nights 67
Political focus of Claudius Rich 69
Lifestyle conditions by Mary Rich 73
City descriptions by James Silk Buckingham 76
Colonial interests in Heude’s writings 88
- Summary 94
Endnotes 98
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Iman Al-Attar is an Iraqi architect, historian and a doctor in philosophy and urban history. She is currently doing research on topics including urban history, Islamic architecture, cultural issues and Baghdad. In 2018 she published her first book; Baghdad: an urban history through the lens of literature, which examines the writings of some local scholars who stayed in Baghdad in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Summary
This book provides analytical study of the colonial literature of Baghdad in relation to its historiography. The history of travelogues throughout different periods of Baghdad’s history is highlighted, with a specific focus on 18th and 19th centuries’ travelogues.
