The Effects of Learning the Arabic Language on Western Travelers’ Knowledge of the Societies of the Levant: The Travels of Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, James Silk Buckingham, and Selah Merrill as an Example

Dalal H. Al-zubi; Mohamed Munis Awad; Maamoun S. Abdulkarim; Mesut Idriz

doi:10.35516/hum.v52i5.7703

Authors

Dalal H. Al-zubi Department of History and Islamic Civilization, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6050-9146
Mohamed Munis Awad Department of History and Islamic Civilization, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0945-4183
Maamoun S. Abdulkarim Department of History and Islamic Civilization, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9740-2844
Mesut Idriz Department of History and Islamic Civilization, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7151-5963

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35516/hum.v52i5.7703

Keywords:

Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, James Silk Buckingham, Selah Merrill, Arabic language mastery, understanding society, travelers, , the levant.

Abstract

Objectives: The journey is the eye of insightful geography. The importance of this study lies in shedding light on the blogs of the travelers Johann Ludwig Burckhardt (d. 1817 AD), James Silk Buckingham (d. 1855 AD), and Selah Merrill (d. 1909 AD) to answer the question: Does Western travelers’ mastery of the Arabic language have an impact on understanding Arab societies correctly? Did the lack of mastery of the Arabic language create an obstacle to these travelers’ communication with the residents of the areas they wanted to explore? What is the nature of the aspects that they misunderstood?

Methods: The researcher used descriptive, transferential, and analytical methods, as shown in the study details.

Results: It was noted that Selah Merrill did not mix with the residents of the areas he passed through compared to Johann Ludwig Burckhardt and James Silk Buckingham, which is attributed to Selah Merrill's lack of mastery of the Arabic language, which created an obstacle to his communication with the residents and understanding the customs and traditions of the community.

Conclusions: The study concluded that the explorer's mastery of the Arabic language has an important impact on the correct understanding of the community to be explored and avoiding misunderstanding or disapproval of some behaviors, as happened to Merrill.

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