A Study of Islamic Lands in Ibn Jubayr’s Travelogue Rihlat Ibn Jubayr from the Perspective of Kenneth White’s Geopoetics

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature Education, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

2 2. Assistant Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature Education, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Objective: Drawing on Kenneth White’s geopoetic approach, the present study examines the representation of Islamic lands in the travelogue Rihlat Ibn Jubayr. The main problem of the study is how Ibn Jubayr presents a meaningful image of Islamic lands through the interconnection of place, travel experience, emotion, philosophical thought, and poetic language, and how this image can be analyzed in light of the critical, ethical, philosophical, and spatial components of geopoetics.
Method: This study was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method and is organized on the basis of Kenneth White’s geopoetic perspective. Accordingly, Rihlat Ibn Jubayr was examined as the main corpus of the research, and Ibn Jubayr’s descriptions of Islamic lands, especially places associated with religious, political, and cultural geography, were analyzed from the perspectives of the dialectical relationship between human beings and the earth, the influence of place on emotion and thought, and the role of literary language in the representation of space.
Results: The findings show that Ibn Jubayr, in his descriptions of Islamic lands, does not merely record geographical, historical, and social observations; rather, he transforms place into a field for expressing philosophical, religious, mystical, and critical ideas. Influenced by Islamic spaces and the emotions arising from his encounter with these places, he employs certain literary techniques, especially simile, to enhance the poetic quality of the text and to explain philosophical views rooted in Islamic mysticism. Moreover, his descriptions of the conduct of political rulers, social customs, and certain improper traditions reveal the presence of a critical and reformist perspective in the travelogue. From this perspective, place in Rihlat Ibn Jubayr is not a neutral element, but an active factor in the formation of meaning, social criticism, and the stimulation of ethical reflection.
Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that Ibn Jubayr, by activating the geopoetic function in his descriptions of Islamic lands, establishes a connection between the objective experience of travel and philosophical and poetic reflection. He uses the description of places to convey his religious and critical ideas, to foreground the problems of cities and lands, and to encourage the audience to gain a more precise understanding of spatial realities. Therefore, Rihlat Ibn Jubayr may be regarded as a text in which travel, place, emotion, and literary language serve a deeper understanding of Islamic lands and invite the reader to observation, reflection, and a more concrete comprehension of the relationship between human beings and the earth.

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References

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History

  • Receive Date: 12 March 2025
  • Revise Date: 03 June 2025
  • Accept Date: 27 June 2025

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