With Bidwell inArabia
Garnet Publishing has issued a paperbackedition of Robin Bidwell's Travellers in Arabia (Hamlyn,1976). Bidwell is well known for his contributions to thescholarship on Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula as well as hiscoeditorship of Arabian Studies.
In this volume, directed more to a generalthan an academic audience, Bidwell presents the stories of thoseintrepid souls drawn to explore the vast expanse of Arabia. Thisphase in Peninsula history fascinates Bidwell. The book allows himto highlight the deeds, daring-do, foibles and faults of thoseEuropeans in search of knowledge, fame, or fortune who were boldenough to risk the hardship and danger of traveling in a harshenvironment whose inhabitants were either extremely hospitable orapparently hostile.
The early chapters focus on those whosetravels were most impressive or contributed most to Westernunderstanding of Arabia. The accounts are presented chronologically. Later chapters are devoted to regions of the Peninsula.
To students of Yemen, the 1761 DanishExpedition that included Carsten Niebuhr is well known and is given ajustifiably prominent place. As he does for other travellers to whoman entire chapter is devoted, Bidwell presents the backgrounds of theteam members, their objectives, the details and itinerary of thetrip, and some of the high and low points. For example, we learn ofthe expedition's travails and particularly of the death of allmembers except Niebuhr, who saw to the publishing of the results ofhis own and his companions' work.
Bidwell devotes chapters to the travels ofthe famous including Richard Burton, Johann Burckhardt, H. St. JohnPhilby, and Charles Doughty as well as the less well-known WilliamPalgrave, Joseph Pitts, and Ali Bey, whose true identity is amystery. Other travellers whose scopes were less broad, writingswere less extensive, contributions less significant, or trips morerecent are grouped in regional chapters. For Southwest Arabia thelist includes the Rabbi Joseph Halévy, Walter Harris, HughScott, Hermann von Wissman, Harold Ingrams, and WymanBury.
Readers and scholars might quibble about whoreceives detailed attention or why they were chosen. I have apersonal affinity for Wilfred Theisiger's journeys in the Hadramaut,Oman and the Empty Quarter but these are barely mentioned. Twotravellers, Christian Snouck Hurgronje and Alois Musil, each madeimportant anthropological contributions but receive limitedattention. Carl Rathjens, who traveled in parts of Yemen in the1930s, is not included. But as Bidwell warns in the introduction, "Icould only put in what seemed to me interesting, amusing, orimportant and hope that the reader will agree with my choice" (p.6).
Several things emerge from these accounts. First are the mental and physical hardiness of those men and womenwho traveled in Arabia and lived to write about their travels. Female travellers such as Lady Anne Blunt, who also did extensivetraveling in Sudan, and Freya Stark, the author of many works onSouth Arabia, added to western knowledge of Arabia. Second, a few ofthe travellers, especially Niebuhr, Burckhardt, and the immenselyprolific Burton, made extensive scholarly contributions. Third isthe recklessness of some travellers in their attempts to enter andobserve Islam's holy sites. Some, like John Keane, felt sneakinginto the sacred shrines demonstrated their mettle. Others,especially devout Christians like Doughty, assumed elaboratedisguises to gain entry to Mecca yet were unwilling or unable todissemble when questioned about their religion or belief. Fourth,Bidwell points to those, especially Palgrave, who may have fabricatedparts of their accounts.
The text is brief and the style engaging. Bidwell does not belabor the subject matter. He provides a thoroughsketch of the traveller and leaves readers to pursue their interests. In addition to the travellers' writing cited in the text, a shortbibliography of other studies is included. The accounts aresupplemented with 57 drawings, 81 photographs and 2 maps. Other than16 color plates apparently for this book, the rest are reproductionsfrom earlier, often the original sources. A map of the peninsula isinside the front and back cover.
As Bidwell makes clear in the introduction,his interests in writing this book are largely personal. "I havewritten this mainly to please myself and can only hope that myenjoyment will be communicated to others" (p. 6). There areoccasions when Bidwell indulges his interests, for example,quotations that reflect 16th and 17th century spelling. Nevertheless, the treatment is generally comprehensive and Bidwellhighlights the travellers' contributions to Western scholarship.
The popular format and style are deceptive. The book is filled with information that researchers may haveoverlooked or forgotten. Bidwell conveys to readers the pleasure hehad in writing the volume. It is nice to be reminded of these pointsand in such a pleasant manner.
| |