Rihlat al-Shita wa al-Sayf
- Author died
- 1070 AH
- Editions
- al-Maktab al-Islāmī lil-Ṭibāʿah wa-al-Nashr
Rihlat al-Shita wa al-Sayf (Arabic: رحلة الشتاء والصيف, "The Journey of Winter and Summer") is an Arabic prose travelogue written by the Medinan scholar and man of letters Muhammad Kibrit (1012–1070 AH / 1603–1660 CE) . It records his extensive journey from Medina to the Ottoman lands (al-Rum), Damascus, and Cairo .
Background and Composition
Muhammad Kibrit set out on his voyage toward the Ottoman realms in the year 1039 AH (1629/1630 CE) . He composed this travel narrative in prose and offered it in dedication to the Ottoman Shaykh al-Islam Yahya ibn Zakariyya . In addition to this prose account, Kibrit undertook another noted journey to Rum that he composed in verse .
Contents and Scope
The book chronicles the route of the author's journey and documents the unusual incidents, curiosities, and marvels (ghara'ib) he encountered along the way . In Damascus, Kibrit describes his entry into the city and his encounters with scholars, including his studies under the prominent teacher Ayyub ibn Ahmad . He subsequently traveled to Cairo, where he associated with leading figures of learning . The text is imbued with literary anecdotes and rare linguistic notes reflecting the author's stylistic orientation .
Reception and Preservation
Biographers and anthologists counted Rihlat al-Shita wa al-Sayf among Kibrit's most distinguished literary compositions . Ibn Ma'sum praised the author's writings as elegant works capturing the subtle nuances and anecdotes of literature .
Manuscript copies of the work have survived in collections such as the General Awqaf Library in Baghdad and the Taymuriyya Library . The text was published in Cairo by al-Matba'a al-Wahbiyya in 1293 AH (1876 CE) in 142 pages .
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