Nikita R. Krayushkin

The article is based on the materials derived from the part of the unpublished treatise of the Syrian adept of Sufism ‘Abd al-Ghani al-Nablusi (1641–1731) “Authentic and Graphic Description of Journey across the Greater Syria, Egypt and Hijaz” which contains the description of author’s travel through Egypt. The goal of this article is to analyze the structure of the ulama corporation, and its role and place in the Egyptian society of the 17th century. The analysis confirms that the ulama of this period can be characterized as a potent group that traditionally played a crucial role in the development of sustainable relations between the political elites and religious community.

Drawing on travel accounts by Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulusi and Muhammad Kibrit, the article compares two seventeenth-century Muslim pilgrims’ experiences in Ottoman Cairo and their contacts with its religious and intellectual circles.

Based on a travel treatise by the Damascus Sufi ‘Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi, the article examines travel in search of knowledge in the cultural and intellectual life of late-17th-century Bilad al-Sham. It explores pilgrimage routes, cultural centres, scholarly contacts and cultural exchange.