“Me” and the “Other” in the Writing of Travelogues in Iran and Egypt: A Comparative Study of al-Tahtawi’s Takhlis al-Ibriz and Mirza Saleh Shirazi’s Travelogue

Most of the Eastern people who have traveled to the West have been fascinated by the progress of the West. Thus. they mainly turn aside from the East and its cultural manifestations and try to compare the East and the West to conclude the cultural superiority of the latter. Although such a comparison comes along with some factual details. it shows essentially the fascination of these people with the West and the way they exaggerate in expressing its cultural development. This article is an effort to make a comparative study of Mirzª Sªleh Shirazi’s Travelogue and Rifa’a Al-Tahtªwi’s Takhlis Al-Ibriz from Egypt based on the Slavic school and elaborate on the conflict between the oriental “Me” and the Western “Other”. The results show that both writers believed that the despotic political system. illiteracy and widespread ignorance and superstition were the main reasons why Eastern countries were left backward and undeveloped. Moreover. the research shows that Mirzª Sªleh was more fascinated with the European culture and civilization than Rifa'a al-Tahtªwi. though the latter endeavored to describe impartially the West in its positive and negative features. Finally. Rifa'a al-Tahtªwi's language and literary style and objective description are more solid and effective than those Mirzª Sªleh Shirªzi. Tahtªwi depicts the West with his strong literary style and exaggerates it in his articles but implicitly refers to the East's preference for the West in its aspects of civilization. civilization and culture in its lines of journeys. and tries to convey to the Egyptian or Arab interlocutors that it is necessary to look for the causes of its ancient civilization in its rich heritage Taking advantage of the civilization of the West. especially the French. Mirzª sªleh is also an exaggeration in the portrayal of the Westerner and his exaggeration in mentioning his material to the Eastern Iranian nation. The book of Mirzª Sªleh Shirªzi’s Travelogue is characterized by the positions and stories of the owner and his meetings and dialogues and discussions with others and the incidence of accidents and surprises and joys and sorrows. while introducing Rifa’a Al-Tahtªwi’s Takhlis Al-Ibriz on such things and was more likely to be an analyst describing without going into the positions and stories that were presented on his trip.