Napoleon in Egypt: Al-Jabarti's Chronicle of the French Occupation, 1798

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Arabic


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The book is an Arab view of a turning point in modern history. Napoleon's conquest of Egypt in 1798 was the first contact between an imperial Western power and an ancien regime of an African society. Shaykh Al-Jabarti's chronicle is a unique combination of historical narration and reflection combined with daily observations about the atmosphere in Cairo and the mood among the local population. Al-Jabarti resents the French invasion, ridicules France's claim to be a defender of the faith, rejects its belief in liberty and equality, and despises its lack of morality and personal hygiene, yet he applauds the efficiency and technical and scholarly abilities of the French. There was much he admired in these "uncouth barbarians" who even had a translation of the Koran in their luggage. The French view of the events, described by Napoleon's secretary Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne, and the reproduction of outstanding drawings by engineers, artists, and scholars who accompanied the invading army provide a full spectrum of the European preoccupation with Egypt. The resulting "Orientalism" as defined by Edward W. Said clashes with the Arab view represented by Al-Jabarti.


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