An Imam in Paris: Al-Tahtawi’s Visit to France (1826-31)

This is an annotated translation of al-Tahtawi’s Takhlis al-Ibriz fi Talkhis Bariz , an Arabic account of a visit to Paris by a Muslim from the Near East. Its author, a young Azhari graduate, was a member of the first Egyptian educational mission to Paris where he spent five years in the first half of the 19th century. In addition to its historical and literary value, the volume offers insights into misconceptions about the continent and the other , and the disorientation that follows a descent into a new world. The work came to play a crucial role in bringing Western ideas to 19th-century Muslims.