Running head: "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN MUHAMMAD AL-MUN‘IM AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE "THE BOOK OF THE FRAGRANT GARDEN" A Research Proposal Presented to The Foreign Languages Department by Yana A. Suleymanyan 176 National Research University Higher School of Economics School of World Economy and International Affairs Academic advisors: Assistant prof. L.A. Chuprygina Assistant prof. O.A. Marina Moscow 2022 1 "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN MUHAMMAD AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE 2 SERIOUS AND ENTERTAINING IN MUAMMAD HIMYARI’S TREATISE Table of contents TREATISE TREATISE Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Literature Review............................................................................................................................ 5 Methods........................................................................................................................................... 8 Expected Outcomes ...................................................................................................................... 10 References ..................................................................................................................................... 12 Appendix A ................................................................................................................................... 14 "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN MUHAMMAD AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE 3 SERIOUS AND ENTERTAINING IN MUAMMAD HIMYARI’S TREATISE Abstract TREATISE TREATISE Over many centuries of humankind’s desire to explore new lands and describe them, a massive layer of literature has arisen, which in general can be called geographical. So, we should mention Muhammad al-Himyari’s treatise "The Book of the Fragrant Garden", which includes not only "serious" historical and geographical descriptions but also contains "entertaining" information. However, up to the present time, the treatise that we are studying has been little researched in domestic science and has not been translated into Russian, which makes it inaccessible to a wide range of readers and researchers who do not speak Arabic. Thus, al-Himyari’s treatise has only been partially translated into French (Levi-Provencal, 1938) and Spanish (Gonzalez, 1963). This study presents the dichotomy between "serious" and "entertaining" in alHimyari’s book. We will perform a collection of primary data and historical and geographical study methods. The research results may reveal the perceptions of Arab medieval geographers by the case of "serious" and "entertaining" and might allow contemporary researchers to identify more clearly the milestones in the formation of geographical science. Keywords: The Middle East, medieval Arabic geographic literature, Muhammad al-Himyari’s "The Book of the Fragrant Garden", the Mediterranean region "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN MUHAMMAD AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE 4 SERIOUS AND ENTERTAINING IN MUAMMAD HIMYARI’S TREATISE Introduction TREATISE TREATISE Undoubtedly, there is the importance of studying geographical treatises related to the Middle Ages. Up to the present moment, many treatises of Arab medieval geographers, which are devoted to the different regions of the world, have been little studied and have not been fully translated into Russian in terms of finding a "serious": historical and geographical information, and issues of household activities, and "entertaining": religious narratives, historical legends and paranormal phenomena that cannot be proven historically, and confirmed empirically or reproduced at all, since they describe metaphysical ones. So, the treatises are inaccessible to many readers and researchers who do not speak Arabic. Thus, al-Himyari’s book is no exception, as it was partially translated into French by Levi-Provencal in 1938 (Levi-Provencal, 1938) and into Spanish by Maria Gonzalez in 1963 (Gonzalez, 1963). Among the researchers who have studied this topic is academician I. Yu. Krachkovsky and his "Selected Works" (Krachkovsky, 1957), also the article by I. G. Konovalova "Delineation as a means of description in medieval Islamic geography" (Konovalova, 2015) and her dissertation "Eastern Europe in Arabic geography of the XII-XIV centuries" (Konovalova, 2004). These papers provide a complete overview of the development and formation of medieval Arab geography. Nevertheless, despite a significant number of studies, there are research gaps, evidenced by the lack of translation of information into Russian about such regions as the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf, Iran, India, China, Southeast Asia, and East Africa. Thereby, academician I. Yu. Krachkovsky has translated information about the Moroccan city of Asifi, the introduction to the treatise by al-Himyari, and I. G. Konovalova has translated the supplements to the treatise. "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN MUHAMMAD AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE 5 SERIOUS AND ENTERTAINING IN MUAMMAD HIMYARI’S TREATISE Thus, the research concept determines the purpose of our paper: to present a study based TREATISE TREATISE on the dichotomy "serious" and "entertaining" in the treatise by Muhammad al-Mun‘im al-Himyari, "The Book of the Fragrant Garden". Noteworthy is to say that the study hypothesis is that the farther from their place of permanent residence Arab explorers traveled, the more they described geographical objects in terms of "entertaining" as the views of medieval Arab geographers have been formed to a large extent under the influence of the stories of casual travelers, merchants, and seafarers. In conclusion, in the study are applied such methods as textual analysis, content analysis, comparative and descriptive ones may allow us to define "serious" and "entertaining" particulars. It seems that the expected results of the study may confirm the hypothesis put forward and demonstrate that the medieval Arabic geographical tradition has been focused on describing unusual phenomena and practical components. Literature Review As part of the work on the course project, we managed to translate information about various cities of the Mediterranean, and even then, we turned to the division of facts into the category of "serious" and "entertaining". An example of "serious" information can be given the history of the Andalusian city of Taracuna. The treatise of al-Himyari (al-Himyari, 1975) says: "The city was built on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Complexes of city attractions have not undergone any changes. Most of the walls of the city survived and did not collapse". At the same time, the translated fragments were very rich in various curiosities and entertaining facts. For example, the story about the island of Sidon Muhammad al-Himyari (al-Himyari, 1975) mentioned a detailed narrative about the prophet Suleiman, who almost lost his power because the devil took his ring. Ultimately, God’s prophet successfully took possession of the ring and "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN MUHAMMAD AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE 6 SERIOUS AND ENTERTAINING IN MUAMMAD HIMYARI’S TREATISE continued his mighty reign. TREATISE TREATISE Since the Arab medieval geographers were especially curious about the otherworldly and mysterious, many tried to fix interesting fables and legendary tales in treatises. Sometimes they managed to get information that reflected the dialogue of cultures and the mixing of religious traditions. So, Abu al-Hasan al-Masudi (al-Masudi, 2016), in his story about Khazaria and other countries of the Caucasus, mentions an island inhabited by constantly frolicking people who tirelessly celebrate and have fun. In this context, the Arab geographer and traveler conveys the sailors’ belief, who unanimously claim that it is on this island that the Dajjal (Antichrist) is waiting in the wings. In fact, medieval Arabic treatises have many common characteristics, which are caused by many factors, one of which is the usual borrowing of information from contemporaries and predecessors. Many geographers and travelers collected actual historical facts and features of economic activity along with legendary stories and mystical incidents. In this connection, one colorful work by Abu Hamid al-Garnati called "A gift to the shrewd minds and the brightest miracles" (al-Garnati, 1993) can be mentioned. On the one hand, he describes geographical locations on the territory of North Africa, Iran, the Caspian Sea, and the Lower Volga; and on the other hand, he leaves remarkable comments, for example, calling a particular river of the Slavs "black like ink and sweet, clean". At the same time, we find geographical treatises that contain a large amount of historical data, as is the case with the works of Takiyuddin al-Maqrizi, among them "Plots of land" (alMaqrizi, 1997) and "Trail Road for the knowledge of royal dynasties" (al-Maqrizi, 1997). The author presented a historical and geographical description of Egypt, the Maghreb, South Arabia, and Abyssinia. Also, the scientist al-Maqrizi focused his attention on the social life of people, "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN MUHAMMAD AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE 7 SERIOUS AND ENTERTAINING IN MUAMMAD HIMYARI’S TREATISE the peculiarities of national attire, and the state of the Mamluk army. TREATISE TREATISE Let us also turn to the treatise of Muhammad ibn Haukal "Description of the Earth" (Haukal, 1992), which presented "serious" data regarding the historical and geographical descriptions of the lands conquered by Muslims in Spain and Italy, as well as in the possessions of the Byzantine Empire. The illustrations that abound in the book should be attributed to entertaining passages. Thus, the image of the Mediterranean Sea in the treatise of Muhammad ibn Haukal (Haukal, 1992) resembles an elongated shape of a human head, with a long narrow neck and an elongated nose, which, of course, testifies not only the amusingness of this kind of information but also the initial development of medieval Arab cartography (Haukal, 1992). Of course, it would be wrong to say that Russian historiography did not at all refer to the geographical treatise of Muhammad al-Himyari, "The Book of the Fragrant Garden". Let us start with the fact that the efforts of the outstanding orientalist I. Yu. Krachkovsky compiled the classic work "Selected Works" (Krachkovsky, 1957), which contains the complete overview of the development of medieval Arabic geography. Academician Krachkovsky used various sources and a colossal volume of domestic and foreign literature. Next, we mention the work of Doctor of Historical Sciences I. G. Konovalova, including the article "Delimitation as a means of description in medieval Islamic geography" (Konovalova, 2015), as well as a dissertation on the topic "Eastern Europe in Arab geography of the XII-XIV centuries" (Konovalova, 2004). The researcher successfully identified the main ways of describing territories in medieval Islamic geography and a detailed historiographic review of fundamental works, which contains the degree of study and inclusion in scientific circulation. For a simplified orientation in geographical names, it is recommended to refer to the textbook authored by M. A. Sapronova (Sapronova, 2013), in which the scientist traced the evolution "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN MUHAMMAD AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE 8 SERIOUS AND ENTERTAINING IN MUAMMAD HIMYARI’S TREATISE of the definitions of specific locations over time. Finally, since the treatise we have chosen repTREATISE TREATISE resents the genre of descriptive geography, it is imperative to get acquainted with the works of the researcher D. R. Khairutdinov (Khairutdinov, 2007), who provided a deep insight into the terminology of Arabic geographical science. In general, we can conclude that the topic of research in Russian historiography has been studied to a certain extent. However, in our opinion, the Russian school of Oriental studies does not cease to need precise, extended translations of the most exciting and meaningful sections of the work of Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Mun‘im al-Himyari "The Book of the Fragrant Garden". After a general acquaintance with the content of our study, we propose to turn to its hypothesis and main purpose to consolidate the logical idea of the study’s concept. As for the study’s aim that we pursue throughout our scientific research, it is to compile a critical study that reflects the dichotomy between the categories of "serious" and "entertaining" in accordance with the definitions we have mentioned above. Moreover, we may try to confirm our hypothesis that as the Arab geographers and travelers moved away from their usual place of residence, their geographical descriptions underwent major changes and represented more and more through mystical tales and folk beliefs. Methods As stated above, the purpose of this research is to present a study based on the dichotomy "serious" and "entertaining" in the treatise by Muhammad al-Mun‘im al-Himyari "The Book of the Fragrant Garden". The study also tries to confirm or refute the proposed hypothesis about the degree of "entertainment" or "seriousness" of descriptions of geographical objects written by medieval Arab geographers depending on the distance "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN MUHAMMAD AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE SERIOUS AND ENTERTAINING IN MUAMMAD HIMYARI’S TREATISE or proximity of their permanent place of residence. Hence, intending to examine the reTREATISE TREATISE search aim, we attempt to employ a textual analysis method, content analysis method, comparative, and descriptive ones. A textual analysis method may help us to understand the written material of the treatise by Muhammad al-Mun‘im al-Himyari during the translation of information about geographical locations, as well as gain necessary information about details, characteristics, symbols, and names related to the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf, Iran, India, China, Southeast Asia, and East Africa. The content analysis method is a requisite research tool, which may allow us, firstly, to identify the intentions, focus, and communication trends of the author related to the geographical places, and, secondly, to find out different patterns in repeating information covering geographical objects of regions under study. This method will also be employed to interpret messages of Muhammad al-Mun‘im al-Himyari’s book, to determine in what linguistic features it differs in, and to examine the relationships among concepts in a text. It is also worth noting the comparative method, which may resolve information about various geographical places in the context of current data about the studied regions, as well as in the context of comparing information about the studied regions among the works of medieval Arab geographers, who compiled their books mainly based on the entertaining stories of travelers, merchants, and seafarers of the 14th century and earlier periods. This method is planned to be used in work together with a descriptive method, which may make it possible to identify how the text of the author of the treatise changes depending on the location of the geographical unit, what caused the change, and when the 9 "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN MUHAMMAD AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE 10 SERIOUS AND ENTERTAINING IN MUAMMAD HIMYARI’S TREATISE change occurred. TREATISE TREATISE Regarding the study’s scope, we limit ourselves to the source of the research paper – al-Himyari’s treatise and delve into the study of the previously mentioned regions. The emphasis in the research will be on the inquiry of the most contained episodes in central cities, places of penetration into the regions for a detailed analysis of the dichotomy of "serious" and "entertaining". In the course of the study, we encountered two limitations. The first of them is expressed in the fact that the basic primary source is a medieval geographical treatise, and therefore it is full of special terminology and original lexical units; syntactically performed in a rather arbitrary manner, and at the same time, it often presents information inconsistently and chaotically. The second limitation derives from the fact that there are no detailed, thematic, Russian-language studies on al-Himyari’s treatise in relation to the dichotomy of "serious" and "entertaining". Expected Outcomes A vast and significant distinction in style is expected between medieval and contemporary geographic literature. According to last year’s research, it can be assumed that the analysis of the descriptions of the geographical regions will demonstrate that the treatise of al-Himyari is a notable example of descriptive Arabic geography. The work most likely may confirm the study’s hypothesis concerning the theory that the further Arab geographers went on with their travels, the more they filled their texts and descriptions with "entertaining" episodes. That is because their geographical writing tradition was shaped mainly under the direct influence of the stories of traveling merchants and sailors. The text of the treatise might be filled with various passages of socio-economic nature, as "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN MUHAMMAD AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE 11 SERIOUS AND ENTERTAINING IN MUAMMAD HIMYARI’S TREATISE well as numerous curiosities, which would be found most unusual if read by modern researchers. TREATISE TREATISE Concerning the descriptions of the Persian Gulf, we aim to find many Islamic references, myths, and legends derived from the holy scripture and the history of Islam itself. We anticipate running into a plethora of eschatological expressions that illustrate the general sentiment between the Arabs at the time. Considering the rapid development pace of Arabic medicine in the Middle Ages, the abundance of medical passages. By also taking into account the period when the treatise was written and based on our preliminary results, the treatise is filled with various theories which are traditional characteristics of medieval Arab geography, like the theory of climates and the theory of the seas. The results of our research will be presented to the faculty of World Economy and World Politics at National Research University Higher School of Economics. Following the implementation of the commission board’s comments, the final text of the piece could be published in academic journals devoted to various topics such as eastern studies, the Arabic language, or geography. Considering the exciting nature of the topic, our work might be of interest to both specialized and casual readers. "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN MUHAMMAD AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE SERIOUS AND ENTERTAINING IN MUAMMAD HIMYARI’S TREATISE References TREATISE TREATISE Al-Garnati, A. H. (1993). A gift of an astute mind and the brightest miracles. New Horizons. Al-Himyari, M. M. (1975). The Book of the Fragrant Garden. Lebanon. Library of Lebanon. Al-Mas’udi, A. A. (2016). The book of instructions and observations. Baghdad. Al-Musanna Library. Al-Maqrizi, T. D. (1997). The book of teachings and edification is contained in the description of the quarters and monuments of Cairo. Beirut. Publishing House of scientific literature. Al-Maqrizi, T. D. (1997). The book of ways to know the Ruling Dynasties. Beirut. Publishing House of scientific literature. Al-Nisibi, A. H. (1992). The face of the Earth. Alexandria. Library of Alexandria. Gonzalez, M. P. (1963). The unknown history of the conquered people: The Helves in Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Lope de Barrientos: cultural workshop, 7(3), 7-8. Khairutdinov, D. R. (2007). Arabic geographical terminology. Scientific notes of Kazan State University. Konovalova, I. G. (2004). Eastern Europe in Arabic geography of the XII-XIV centuries. Institute of Universal History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 3(19). Konovalova, I. G. (2015). Delineation as a means of description in medieval Islamic geography. International Journal of Cultural Research, 4(21). Krachkovsky, I. Yu. (1957). Selected works: in 6 volumes. V. 4. Arabian geographical literature. M.-L.: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 12 "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN MUHAMMAD AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE SERIOUS AND ENTERTAINING IN MUAMMAD HIMYARI’S TREATISE 547-588. TREATISE TREATISE Levi-Provencal, L. E. (1938). The Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages, according to alHimyari, "The fragrant garden of news from the different countries". Language learning, 60(2), 233-462. Sapronova, M. A. (2013). The Arab-Muslim world: history, geography, society. Kazan. Kazan State University. 13 "SERIOUS" AND "ENTERTAINING" IN MUHAMMAD AL-HIMYARI’S TREATISE SERIOUS AND ENTERTAINING IN MUAMMAD HIMYARI’S TREATISE Appendix A TREATISE TREATISE Contribution of the group project participants to the Research Proposal A group of four students of the faculty of World Economy and World Politics at National Research University Higher School of Economics was assembled to conduct the research described in this Research Proposal. The group includes Inal Gukezhev, Hasan Kassem, Artem Saenko, and Yana Suleymanyan. Below is the distribution of tasks within the project group when writing this Research Proposal. Inal Gukezhev was responsible for writing the literature review and references. Hasan Kassem composed texts for parts about expected outcomes and references. Artem Saenko wrote the abstract, introduction, and references. Yana Suleymanyan compiled descriptions of the research methodology and proofread the work for punctuation and grammatical errors and compliance of the text design with APA standards. 14
