This book presents a unique 18th-century journey by a Damascene scholar who traveled to Istanbul to protest the misconduct of a corrupt judge. What began as a legal mission evolved into a rare document of political and administrative critique within the Ottoman Empire. Published here for the first time from the author's sole draft, the text reveals center-periphery tensions, the role of Arab scholars, and travel as a form of symbolic protest. Blending travel narrative, autobiography, and political insight, it offers a bold, personal reflection on justice, corruption, and the lived experience of state institutions from the margins.
Almahdi Alrawadieh, Ph.D.University of Jordan, is Associate Professor of Islamic History there. His research focuses on manuscript studies, historical geography,and travel literature. He has published extensively, authoring over 15 books and editing numerous manuscripts in these fields. His major editorial projects include Bughyat al-Ṭalab by Ibn al-Ê¿AdÄ«m (12 vols., Al-Furqan, 2016) and Al-FawÄ'id al-Saniyyah by al-NahrawÄlÄ« (De Gruyter, 2023). He has also written over 45 peer-reviewed articles.
Scholars and graduate students in the fields of Ottoman history, and Islamic studiesâparticularly those interested in the social and political history of the Arab provinces under Ottoman rule. It will also appeal to researchers working on critical approaches to travel literature, as well as those exploring cultural and intellectual interactions between Arab provincial elites and the imperial center in Istanbul.