An Imam in Paris: Al-Tahtawi's Visit to France (1826-31)

This is an annotated translation of al-Tahtawi’s Takhlis al-Ibriz fi Talkhis Bariz, the first translation of an in-depth Arabic account of a visit to Western Europe by a Muslim from the Near East. In addition to its historical and literary value, the book offers invaluable insight into misconceptions about the continent and the ‘other’, and the disorientation that follows a descent into a new world. Its ideas and notions are as vibrant and palpable as they were over 150 years ago.