al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Ghassal
- Died
- 1358 AH
- Born in
- -
al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Ghassal (d. 1358 AH / 1939 CE) was a Moroccan scholar, historian, and traveler from Tangier, best known for his diplomatic travelogue recording his journey to England .
Life and diplomatic mission
Abu Ali al-Hajj al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghassal was born and raised in Tangier . He was recognized as a prolific scholar, researcher, and man of letters . During the reign of Sultan Abd al-Aziz in 1320 AH (1902 CE), al-Ghassal served as an official secretary to a Moroccan diplomatic embassy dispatched to London under the leadership of the ambassador Pasha Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd al-Sadiq . During his brief stay in England, he composed his travelogue Rihla ila Bilad al-Inkiliz (Journey to the Land of the English), which documented the embassy's mission .
Beyond his diplomatic writings, he authored historical and biographical works, including Iydah al-burhan wa-al-hujja fi tafdil thaghr Tanjah (Clarification of Proof and Argument on the Merits of the Port of Tangier), which was abridged and published as a booklet in Tangier, as well as a biographical work on the scholars and saints of Marrakesh titled al-Ta'rif bi-al-hadra al-Marrakushiyya (Acquaintance with the City of Marrakesh) .
Death
Approximately twenty days prior to his death, al-Ghassal left his native Tangier and settled in Marrakesh, where he died in 1358 AH (1939 CE) past the age of eighty . According to Abd al-Salam ibn Suda in Ithaf al-matali', he died at the end of Jumada al-Thaniyya; other transmitted reports place his death on a Wednesday in Rabi' al-Thani, or in Jumada al-Ula as recorded in Sal al-nisal .
Answer updated
List of Works
al-Rihla al-Tatwijiyya li-Asimat al-Bilad al-Injiliziyya (The Coronation Journey to the Capital of the English Lands) is an early 20th-century Arabic diplomatic travelogue. It records the official mission sent by the Alawi Sultan Mawlay Abd al-Aziz to Great Britain in 1902 to attend the coronation of King Edward VII, documenting the embassy's journey, diplomatic encounters, and detailed observations of London's urban and technological infrastructure.