نوع مقاله : پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
Medieval Islamic travel accounts, beyond recording geographical and cultural observations, also convey representations of political order and the authors’ religious and social concerns. Ibn Jubayr’s Rihla was composed during one of the most critical periods in Islamic history in the sixth century AH, when the Islamic world was experiencing a decline in caliphal authority. This study asks whether the Rihla can be read as more than a pilgrimage-travel narrative and, if so, what kind of linguistic and political acts it performs within its historical context. Drawing on Quentin Skinner’s contextualist approach, the study examines Ibn Jubayr’s Rihla in relation to the political and intellectual milieu of its composition and treats the text not merely as a travel account but as a speech act embedded in the conflicts of the sixth-century Islamic world. The findings suggest that Ibn Jubayr repeatedly represents external threats, internal divisions within the Islamic world, and the condition of Muslim communities across different regions. His favorable portrayal of the Ayyubids and Almohads further indicates a sensitivity to political and religious cohesion in the Islamic world. Moreover, certain spatial and military descriptions go beyond simple observation and invite a political and strategic reading. The study concludes that the Rihla reflects concerns about the fragmentation of Islamic unity and an aspiration for greater cohesion, although demonstrating the existence of a coherent political program requires evidence beyond the text itself.
کلیدواژهها English
