AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE EGYPTIAN TRAVEL LITERATURE TO INDIA

Introduction

Travel literature is a significant genre of creativity as it blends knowledge and adventure with artistic and literary elements. It intertwines various genres such as geography, history, anthropology, and sociology, while also playing a crucial role in cultural criticism and civilizational studies. The Indian subcontinent, with its ancient civilizations, rich religious heritage, and unique landscapes, has fascinated Arab travelers for a long time. Egypt’s historical and cultural ties with India have further strengthened this interest, leading to numerous Egyptian travelers exploring and documenting their journeys. This study examines the impact of these travels on Arab perceptions of India and the role of travel literature in shaping cultural and intellectual exchanges.

The research, employing both descriptive, analytical and historical methods, includes a formal and substantive analysis and a brief, objective discussion of the Egyptian travels to India, highlighting the artistic features, and occasionally criticizing the content. It attempts to discover the significant information, historical data, and insights on Indian culture in these travel writings, illustrating their role in strengthening cultural relations between India and Egypt and promoting civilizational and cultural exchange.

Objectives of the study:

This research aims to study and analyze Egyptian travel literature to India since 1947, focusing on the works of the writer and traveler Ashraf Aboul-Yazid. This study has the following objectives:

1. Examine the growth and development of Egyptian travel literature to India since 1947 and the influence of political, social, and cultural transformations on it.
2. Analyze the motivations of Egyptian travelers to document their journeys to India, highlighting the factors that attracted them to the country.
3. Explore Egyptian travelogues’ literary and artistic features, including style, language, and narrative techniques.
4. Analyze Ashraf Aboul-Yazid’s accounts of travel to India, showcasing their distinctive qualities and artistic characteristics.

 Highlight the literary techniques and narrative mechanisms employed by Ashraf Aboul-Yazid in his writings and observations.

1. Evaluate the role of Egyptian travel literature in fostering cultural and civilizational interaction between Egypt and India.
2. Find out the impacts of Egyptian travels to India on Arabic literature in general.
3. Application of travel literature in cultural and critical studies, focusing on concepts such as imagology and the representation of “Self and Other.”

Research Questions:

The researcher is trying to find answers to some significant questions related to the subject, and these questions are as follows:

1. How did Egyptian travels to India evolve in the middle Ages? Who are the most prominent Egyptian travelers?
2. How did India’s cultural and political relations with Egypt get strengthened in the pre-independence period? Who are the most prominent travelers and what are their travel writings?
3. What are the major Egyptian travelogues to India since 1947?
4. How did Egyptian travels to India affect Arab literature in general?
5. How is India’s civilization and culture reflected in travelogues?
6. To what extent does the concept of imagology, self, and other representations manifest across texts?
7. What are Ashraf Abul-Yazid’s travel writings about India and what are its characteristics and features?
8. What literary methods and narrative mechanisms did Ashraf rely on in travel writing and recording?

METHODOLOGY:

Research is generally based on the analytical descriptive approach, based on analysis of the texts and substantive discussion, highlighting technical features, and sometimes criticizing contents. To track, collect, and monitor most of the available Egyptian travelogues to India, the 4

historical method is used going through history books, viewing travelogues, and accessing important information and knowledge contained therein, as an important reference in India’s history.

CHAPTERIZATION:

This dissertation is structured into an introduction, four main chapters, and a conclusion.

The first chapter: “Travel Literature in Egypt” discusses the origins and development of travel literature, travel literature in Egypt, and its aesthetic values.

The second chapter examines Egyptian travels to India before 1947 classified into three different periods.

Third chapter explores accounts of Egyptian travels to India since 1947, detailing the objectives behind them, the factors that mobilized travel to India post-1947, an analysis of travelogues with a description of travellers, and the impact of these travels on Arabic literature. This chapter also discusses the concept of imagology, the representation of the self and the other, and the traveler’s general perceptions of India.

The fourth chapter delves into the travels of the Egyptian poet and novelist Ashraf Abul-Yazid to India. It is divided into four sections: a biography of Ashraf and his contributions to travel literature, his travels to India, the artistic value of his travelogues, and the influence of his travels on Arabic literature

• India was visited by several Egyptian travelers from the beginning of the twentieth century to 1947, for various purposes and motives, including tourism, hunting, recreation, politics, and scientific and cultural missions. They came to India and recorded their experiences as articles, books, logs, or records. The notable travelogues are: A Quick Look at the Journey to India by Sheikh Rashid Rida, The Journey of Prince Youssef Kamal, India as I Saw It by Fathallah Antaki, My Journeys in the East by Muhammad Thabit, The Journey of Hussein Fawzi, Observations in India by Amina Saeed, A Journey to India by Abdul Wahab Azzam.
• The most prominent factors that led to the increase in travel after independence are the following: the establishment of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Nehru’s cooperation with Gamal Abdel Nasser in the Non-Aligned Movement, the publication of the “Sawt Al Sharq” magazine and the “Al Thaqafa” magazine, the establishment of the Maulana Azad Indian Cultural Center, the holding of scientific seminars, political conferences and cultural festivals in India, and journalistic and media assignments.
• There is a long list of Egyptian travelogues to India after 1947 in the form of a book, a memoir, a blog, an article, series of articles, or those found inside a collection of different travelogues. The followings are some major works in this respect: The New East by Hussein Heikal, India: Secrets and Keys by Ihab El-Sherif, My Travels in the World by Nawal El-Saadawi, A New Journey to History by Hassanein Heikal, The History of Islam in India by Abdel Moneim El-Nemr, The World in 200 Days by Anis Mansour, Discovering a Continent by Youssef Idris, Returning from a Trip to India by Abdel Moneim El-Khafagy, Travels of a Young Muslim in India by Mohamed El-Gawady, River on a Journey by Ashraf Abu El-Yazid, South and East: Travels and Visions by Mohamed El-Makhzangi, Namaste by Samia Ali, Seven Heavens by Saad El-Qarsh, Searching for Shahrukh Khan: 40 Days in India by Mahdi Mubarak and so on.
• Contemporary Egyptian travels to India have contributed significantly to strengthening cultural and civilizational relations between India and Egypt in various aspects, and have also influenced studies of cultural criticism, civilizational interactions, and literary exchanges.
• The travel accounts have contributed to the spread of the fame of the Indian arts, films, music, dance forms, series, sculpture, architecture, and other dazzling ancient arts, and greatly contributed to the popularity of Indian films and Bollywood and their favorite stars among viewers in the Arab world.

OUTCOMES:  

• India was visited by several Egyptian travelers from the beginning of the twentieth century to 1947, for various purposes and motives, including tourism, hunting, recreation, politics, and scientific and cultural missions. They came to India and recorded their experiences as articles, books, logs, or records. The notable travelogues are: A Quick Look at the Journey to India by Sheikh Rashid Rida, The Journey of Prince Youssef Kamal, India as I Saw It by Fathallah Antaki, My Journeys in the East by Muhammad Thabit, The Journey of Hussein Fawzi, Observations in India by Amina Saeed, A Journey to India by Abdul Wahab Azzam.
• Indian literature and arts have gained a place and fame in Arab circles, and have won the admiration of Arab writers and authors to the point that they have come forward to translate them into their language.
• Ashraf Aboul-Yazid is a prominent Egyptian writer, poet, and journalist specializing in travel literature, with nearly 40 works across various genres.
• His works also incorporated Indian symbols and figures in poetry and novels, while translating notable Indian poetry into Arabic, such as “Ashwani Kumar: The Village of a Thousand Metaphors.”
• Ashraf has recorded the details of his travels to India in five long articles, published in various magazines at different times. He collected two articles in the book “A River on a Journey” under the title ‘Under the Sky of Gujarat’ and ‘The Throne of Sultan Akbar’. Another is titled ‘Mumbai, a Wild Poem’. He also included his two travels to Kerala in two articles ‘In the Footsteps of ibn Battuta in Qaliquta’ and ‘Nilambur, a Bridge on the River Chaliyar’.

• He adopted innovative methodologies by tracing the footsteps of historical figures, focusing on arts, literature, history, and Islamic architecture. His narratives blended classical and modern approaches, drawing inspiration from classical travel writers like Ibn Battuta and Yaqut al-Hamawi, and ibn fazlan while introducing new techniques in storytelling, description, and analysis.
• He experimented with diverse narrative styles, including descriptive imagery, dialogue, humor, and journalistic storytelling. He integrated photography and multimedia with travel writing, emphasizing knowledge, adventure, and entertainment. His works reflect a cross-genre approach, combining travel literature with elements of fiction and journalism.

• AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE EGYPTIAN TRAVEL LITERATURE TO INDIA

  SINCE 1947 WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO WORKS OF ASHRAF ABOUL-YAZEED

  Synopsis of the Thesis submitted to the UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT for the Award of Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By MOHAMED SAEED Under the supervision of Dr. JABIR K T

  (Assistant Professor & Research Guide) Centre: Research Department of Arabic, Thunchan Memorial Govt. College, Tirur University of Calicut .