An Imam in Paris: Account of a Stay in France by an Egyptian Cleric (1826-1831)

In the 1820s, Rifa'a Rafi' al-Tahtawi, a young Muslim cleric, was a leading member of the first Egyptian educational mission to Paris, and meticulously chronicled his experiences with European culture over a period of five years. His seminal book Takhlis al-Ibriz fi Talkhis Bariz is one of the earliest and most influential records of the Muslim encounter with Enlightenment-era European thought, introducing ideas of modernity to his native land. In addition to its historical and literary value, al-Tahtawi's penetrating account offers invaluable insights into early conceptions of Europe and the 'Other'. His informative - and often humorous -- observations are as vibrant and relevant today as they were over 150 years ago. An irrefutable classic, this new edition of the first English translation is introduced and carefully annotated by a scholar fluent in the life, times and milieu of its narrator.