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Personal Narrative Of A Pilgrimage To Al Madinah And Meccah: Volume 2
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1898 edition by George Bell & Sons, London.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1906
About the author
Richard Francis Burton
1,278 books232 followersCaptain Sir Richard Francis Burton KCMG FRGS was a British geographer, explorer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer and diplomat. He was known for his travels and explorations within Asia, Africa and the Americas as well as his extraordinary knowledge of languages and cultures. According to one count, he spoke 29 European, Asian, and African languages.
Burton's best-known achievements include travelling in disguise to Mecca, an unexpurgated translation of One Thousand and One Nights (also commonly called The Arabian Nights in English after Andrew Lang's adaptation), bringing the Kama Sutra to publication in English, and journeying with John Hanning Speke as the first Europeans led by Africa's greatest explorer guide, Sidi Mubarak Bombay, utilizing route information by Indian and Omani merchants who traded in the region, to visit the Great Lakes of Africa in search of the source of the Nile. Burton extensively criticized colonial policies (to the detriment of his career) in his works and letters. He was a prolific and erudite author and wrote numerous books and scholarly articles about subjects including human behaviour, travel, falconry, fencing, sexual practices, and ethnography. A unique feature of his books is the copious footnotes and appendices containing remarkable observations and unexpurgated information.
He was a captain in the army of the East India Company serving in India (and later, briefly, in the Crimean War). Following this he was engaged by the Royal Geographical Society to explore the east coast of Africa and led an expedition guided by the locals and was the first European to see Lake Tanganyika. In later life he served as British consul in Fernando Po, Santos, Damascus and, finally, Trieste. He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and was awarded a knighthood (KCMG) in 1886.
Burton's best-known achievements include travelling in disguise to Mecca, an unexpurgated translation of One Thousand and One Nights (also commonly called The Arabian Nights in English after Andrew Lang's adaptation), bringing the Kama Sutra to publication in English, and journeying with John Hanning Speke as the first Europeans led by Africa's greatest explorer guide, Sidi Mubarak Bombay, utilizing route information by Indian and Omani merchants who traded in the region, to visit the Great Lakes of Africa in search of the source of the Nile. Burton extensively criticized colonial policies (to the detriment of his career) in his works and letters. He was a prolific and erudite author and wrote numerous books and scholarly articles about subjects including human behaviour, travel, falconry, fencing, sexual practices, and ethnography. A unique feature of his books is the copious footnotes and appendices containing remarkable observations and unexpurgated information.
He was a captain in the army of the East India Company serving in India (and later, briefly, in the Crimean War). Following this he was engaged by the Royal Geographical Society to explore the east coast of Africa and led an expedition guided by the locals and was the first European to see Lake Tanganyika. In later life he served as British consul in Fernando Po, Santos, Damascus and, finally, Trieste. He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and was awarded a knighthood (KCMG) in 1886.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 5, 2013
Ironically, for this second volume describes the achievement of Burton's quest--that is, his entry into Medina and Mecca--I found it not as stirring as Volume 1. This from the perspective of someone seeking sprightly travel writing and insight into past cultures. A lot of this volume is dogma and history of Islam. Though the descriptions of the Ka'abba and other holy sites are interesting, there are far too many of them. Far too much visiting of graveyards and mosques and discussion of the punctilio of religious ceremonies and the layout of holy places. The problem for this reader was that there was no way to avoid Volume 2 once I'd read Volume 1. This volume is for specialists. The first volume is far more accessible to general readers. Recommended.
July 3, 2007
As a huge fan of Sir Richard Burton, I've snapped up every book of his I can get my hands on. The two volumes detailing his 1853 pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina is the perfect place to start. Burton is most famous for this pilgrimage and his account does not disappoint if you are interested in Arab life of the time period, exploration, ethnography, or details of the Hajj itself. This is a must-read for anyone curious about one of the greatest explorers in history.
Want to read
April 5, 20155 APR 2015 - spied on Bettie's update. Sounds super.
Free download at Project Gutenberg.
Volume 1 - http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4657
Volume 2 - http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4658
Free download at Project Gutenberg.
Volume 1 - http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4657
Volume 2 - http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4658
July 21, 2009
If you are a Muslim who has been on a pilgrimage to Mecca, this book will evoke interesting insight of the extremely harsh conditions of mid 19th century Arabia by comparison to the relative "ease" of today's "pilgrimage". An amazing travelogue by an orientalist, schooled in Arabic and Islamic religious practices. He entered the Kaabah and visited the tomb of the Prophet, in an age where intrusion by an "infidel" (perhaps even today) means certain decapitation!
January 30, 2020
Capt. Sir Burton's account of his covert pilgrimage to Medina and Mecca in 1853 -- in his own words -- was fascinating to me. (Note: I did not read Volume 1.) I found Volume II about the English author's time in Medina and Mecca, and the caravans to and from these cities, to be fascinating. As has been noted by others, the author is very detail-oriented, which may be an annoyance for some readers, but it's easy to skip such paragraphs if so inclined. Also, there are numerous detailed footnotes which can be ignored if not of interest. Burton's book was of considerable value to the "outside world" at the time of its writing (1853), so the details were of relevance to many at that time. Also, Burton included eight appendices to the book. I found three of the eight to be of enough interest to read in full as they were about three others who also were non-Muslims in Mecca and Medina for the Hajj before Burton's time: Appendix IV - Italian Ludovicus Vertomannus (Lodovico Bartema), A.D. 1503; English teenage boy Joseph Pitts, A.D. 1680; and Italian Giovanni Finati, A.D. 1807. Another Englishman, Burckhardt, was there in A.D. 1814 and Burton relied on Burckhardt's data whenever Burton did not have the ability to provide his own first-hand data. I found this book to be fascinating, and I learned a lot -- so, for me, it was a good read.
June 16, 2023
Volume 2 of this classic is mostly footnotes and bibliography, but for Burton that means a wealth of stories and anecdotes that add color and depth to his depiction of his journey to Al Madinah and Meccah, as he would spell them. Burton is definitely a flawed (and dated) writer, but he is interesting nonetheless, if only because he saw the world in a way that few others of his own time did. He was bedeviled with the prejudices of his time and also at times rose above them, so if you can stand his limitations (which are severe) he will occasionally astonish you with his perspicacity.
July 11, 2020
Part two of Burton's narrative focuses on his journey to Mecca and the rites of the pilgrimage there. This is a lot less exciting than the first part, largely consisting of which prayers are said where. Almost half the book consists of appendices, covering the religious requirements in greater detail, the layout of the mosque, and previous journeys to Mecca.
January 21, 2016
Fantastic old school travelogue. I've been fascinated by Arabic history and culture since reading Karen Armstrong's biography of Mohammed last year. In this book, Burton visits and describes (in great detail) some of the most holy sites in Islam. It's interesting to see the world through his eyes at that time, before the modern era changed so much of it. Reading this has made me want to visit that area so much even though I'm sure that Mecca and Medina are no longer the small cities that Burton describes and that they are probably a lot more touristy to appeal to the pilgrimage trade.
Want to read
August 23, 2016Manners of Madani are graver and somewhat more pompous than those of any Arabs with whom I have mixed. Their austerity and ceremoniousness are skin deep.
Meccans dark people say of the Madani that their hearts are black as their skins are white. This of course is exaggerated.
Madani like Meccans are curious mixture of generosity and meanness
Meccans dark people say of the Madani that their hearts are black as their skins are white. This of course is exaggerated.
Madani like Meccans are curious mixture of generosity and meanness
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September 1, 2013Vol. 2
July 29, 2014
Informative journey. Great appendices.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews