Primordial History, Print Capitalism, and Egyptology in Nineteenth-Century Cairo
Author | : Adam Mestyan |
Publisher | : IFAO |
Total Pages | : 186 |
Release | : 2021-04-01 |
ISBN-10 | : 9782724708097 |
ISBN-13 | : 2724708091 |
Rating | : 4/5 (97 Downloads) |
Download or read book Primordial History, Print Capitalism, and Egyptology in Nineteenth-Century Cairo written by Adam Mestyan and published by IFAO. This book was released on 2021-04-01 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How old is the world? This question was a central problem for Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the face of the new scientific discoveries in the nineteenth century. This book introduces the answer from a Muslim point of view, outside of official institutions. The extended introduction - a microhistory in the Middle East - explores the life and oeuvre of a forgotten Egyptian intellectual and poet, Mustafa Salama al-Naggari (d. 1870). Next, A. Mestyan provides the English translation and Arabic transcription of the surviving fragments of al-Naggari's manuscript, The Garden of Ismail's Praise. This is a universal history of Egypt, written while the Suez Canal was under construction to praise the governor Khedive Ismail (r. 1863-1879). The author advocates a unique solution to computing the period of primordial history, before the Deluge, in the age of steam and print. Al-Naggari's alternative Nahda voice is available for the first time in this edition.