The Travels of Ibn Al-Tayyib

In the eighteenth century, the academic scholar Ibn al-Tayyib made a rihla (journey) from Morocco to the Hijaz, in modern day Saudi Arabia, documenting his travels in the translated manuscript "Rihla ila al-Hijaz", now stored in Leipzig University Library. Lahlali and Al-Dihan here introduce the manuscript and provide a commentary on this remarkable journey and the socio-political climate of the time in which it took place. Al-Tayyib's detailed manuscript contains accounts of observations he made during his travels and his comments regarding the social, economic and political conditions of the countries he visited, as well as comments about the scholars whom he was able to meet. The work is considered the most important reference to the author's life and culture, and is an important source in terms of the linguistic derivations of geographical names. Lahlali and Al-Dihan also provide an insight into al-Tayyib's life and work during the period that he spent outside North Africa. A full translation of the manuscript is provided in this book which serves as a reference for further study.