Journey to Mecca and London
The Travels of an Indian Muslim Woman, 1909–1910

Translated by Daniel Majchrowicz

ISBN13: 9780253071699

Imprint: Indiana University Press

Publisher: Indiana University Press

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Published: 07/01/2025

Availability: Not yet available

Description
Descended from Mughal nobility, Akhtar al-Nisa Begum Nawab Sarbuland Jung grew up in Hyderabad in southern India, where she lived a quiet, private, and privileged life at the heart of the state's royal court. In 1896, at the age of 20, she married Nawab Muhammad Hamidullah Khan Sarbuland Jung, a prominent lawyer and the scion of a leading Muslim reformist movement. In 1909, the wealthy couple embarked on a four-month journey through the Middle East and Europe, performing the hajj in Mecca and sitting for tea with the future king and queen of England. A Journey to Mecca and London provides the first full English translation of Begum Sarbuland's Urdu travel diary from this journey, of which only three original copies remain. Originally intended for circulation among friends and family and later published, her informal entries not only reveal the everyday practices of an Indian woman of her time, but also detail her impressions and reactions as she explored the world alongside her husband. As Begum Sarbuland encountered other women and Muslims during her travels, those encounters shaped her reassessment of her own identity as a Muslim woman. Her observations hold continued significance for readers interested in critical questions about gender, Islam, and identity. Daniel Majchrowicz has thoroughly annotated his translation and paired it with rich appendices, including a biographical sketch of Begum Sarbuland and excerpts from Hamidullah Khan's own accounts of their journey. Engagingly written and enriched with years of original research, archival work, and family interviews, A Journey to Mecca and London restores the nearly forgotten narrative of one of India's first Muslim women travel writers to its rightful place in Indian and Islamic history.
Acknowledgments Note on Translation Introduction Part I: The World Through a Woman's Eyes: A Travelogue of East and West Preface 1. Hyderabad 2. Bombay to Suez 3. Palestine 4. Medina 5. The Levant and Sinai 6. Mecca 7. Egypt 8. Constantinople 9. Europe 10. Hyderabad Part II: Begum Sarbuland: A Life Untold Appendix I: Translation of an Advertisement for The World Through a Woman's Eyes Appendix II: Selections from the Travel Accounts of Hamidullah Nawab Sarbuland Jung Glossary Bibliography Index
  • Classic travel writing
  • Gender studies: women
  • Professional & Vocational
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