A Glimpse at the Travelogues of Baghdad

by Iman Al-Attar

The history of Baghdad in the 18th and 19th centuries had predominantly been written by two groups. The first group is Baghdadi scholars, and the second group is travellers. These two resources complement each other; while the literature of Baghdadi scholars provides insights from inside, travelogues provide observations from outside. By implementing this interlocking method of investigation, we can reach a comprehensive understanding of the history of Baghdad. Having investigated some sources from inside in my previous book; an urban history through the lens of literature , the focus of this book is on travel literature. The history of travelogues throughout different periods of Baghdad’s history is highlighted, with a particular focus on 18th and 19th century travelogues. This period was a critical epoch of change, not just in Baghdad, but across the world. Nevertheless, this book does not intend to provide a documentary of the travellers who visited Baghdad. It is rather an analytical study of the colonial literature in relation to the historiography of Baghdad.

124 pages, Hardcover

Published September 19, 2022

Reviews

[Cool Ranch Slim Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note that this is the second half of the research presented in "Baghdad: An Urban History through the Lens of Literature." Reading both will give a complete overview of how to approach historical records from all sides. However, those interested in this topic alone may read it as a standalone, like I did.

This book just didn't fit my specific needs. The research is good and the results are generally valuable, and I learned a lot otherwise. The sub-chapters knit together smoothly. Those who come in without seeking something will probably like it in its entirely. However, I come out with two main sticking points:

1. Al-Attar doesn't summarize enough before or after getting into the weeds. She does offer lessons, true, but not enough for the whole book, so the reader must be on the alert through the passages in order to inform their analytical methods and approaches going forward.

2. The chapter "Travelogues and Orientalism" was a big letdown. I picked up this book specifically because I came out of Edward Said's classic wondering, "Well, we have these sources that are fundamentally flawed, and we can't make any more. How do we engage with this directly?" However, this chapter is effectively a book report on "Orientalism." There's been about 45 years of subsequent writing and discussion between these two books, but Al-Attar does not examine these discussions to fine-tune her argument. Instead, she fits her argument to explicitly match Said. However, the rest of this book does show how to use these travelogues as sources by entirely sidestepping the Orientalist parts, so in the end this copying is not that big of a deal.