Rifa'a al-Tahtawi

Rifa'a Rafi ' at- Tahtawi (Arabic رفاعة رافع الطهطاوي, DMG Rifā ʿ a Rafi ʿ aṭ - Tahtawi, * 1801 in Tahta, Egypt, † 1873) was an Egyptian writer, teacher, translator, Egyptologist and representatives of the Nahda.

Tahtawi was among the first Egyptian scholars, who came into close contact with Western civilization and made ​​it the object of his inquiries. He stayed in the years 1826-1831 to Imam as a group of students who were part of a Egyptian embassy Muhammad Ali Pasha, in Paris. During this time, he observed all aspects of Western life. His account of his stay in Paris ( Taḫlīṣ al - ibrīz fī talḫīṣ bariz ) appeared in 1849 and is still of interest as one of the few documents of the 19th century, from which the Islamic view of the West at that time is comprehensible.

Works

• Taḫlīṣ al - ibrīz fī talḫīṣ bariz. Bulak, Cairo 1849
• A Muslim discovered Europe. Report about his stay in Paris 1826 - 1831 Hrsgg. . and translated by Karl Stowasser. Beck, Munich, 1989, ISBN 3-406-32796-6