Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to El-Medinah and Meccah

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to El-Medinah and Meccah
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Richard Francis Burton
SeriesCambridge Library Collection - Travel, Middle East and Asia Minor
Series part Volume No. Volume 2
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:452
Dimensions(mm): Height 216,Width 140
Category/GenreIslamic worship, rites and ceremonies
Classic travel writing
ISBN/Barcode 9781108041997
ClassificationsDewey:297.35
Audience
Professional & Vocational
Illustrations 1 Plates, color; 3 Plates, black and white; 1 Maps

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 29 December 2011
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

The British explorer Sir Richard F. Burton (1821-90) was a colourful and often controversial character. A talented linguist and keen ethnologist, he worked in India during the 1840s as an interpreter and intelligence officer for General Sir Charles Napier, and published several books about his experiences in 1851-2. He first gained celebrity, however, for his adventurous 1853 trip to Mecca, under the disguise of a pilgrim, which is described in this lively three-volume publication (1855-6). Few Europeans had ever visited the Muslim holy places; one of them was John Lewis Burckhardt, whose 1829 account is also reissued in this series. Volume 2 of Burton's book vividly describes the heat and dangers of the journey to Medina, the behaviour and conversation of the pilgrims from many different tribes and nations, and the mosques, tombs and other sights of the bustling city, complete with traders and beggars.