"There, beyond, and back again: Remarks on some Early Modern journey descriptions in Persian in search for knowledge, trade, and intelligence (16th-early 19th c.)"
Résumé
In spite of differences among political entities in Central Asia, Iran and North India, intense activity of short- and long-distance travel across the area is documented in different sources. People, goods, and ideas circulated along trade routes, bearing witness to the existence of a common cultural-economical space. A widespread practice among the literati, travel was thus instrumental in circulating literary works: literary biographies and anthologies (tazkera) often document the geographical mobility of different authors. Often, not only the detailed itineraries are described, but also local curiosities and other “things of interest” depending on the profile and goal of the traveller. Two texts have been chosen to illustrate these types of writings: literary memoirs by Zeyn al-Din Vāṣefi of Herat (early 16th c.), and the geographical chapter of Maḥmud Ibn Vāli Balkhi’s historical work (early 17th c.). In the second part of this talk, we will turn towards a travel diary left by Mir ‘Ezzatallāh,a secretary of the British administration in India, entitled Masir-e Bokhārā (early 19th c.), detailing the itinerary from Delhi to Bukhara, in order to illustrate another type of interest, here in search of trade and military information. The original text, in Persian, has never been published although several manuscripts exist, as well as several incomplete and non-critical translations in English, French and German, all dating from the early and mid-19th c. This presentation is
mainly based on one of the Bibliothèque nationale de France’s manuscripts, the Supplément Persan 1346. Commenting on the latter source also enables us to address some methodological problems, such as goals for writing, fact and source checking, and circulation of manuscripts during the author’s lifetime and afterwards, as well as their identification and cataloging in modern libraries.
Domaines
Histoire
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