Rihlat al-Sirafi

Rihlat al-Sirafi (The Travel Account of al-Sirafi) is an early Arabic geographical and travelogue compilation edited by Abu Zayd al-Sirafi (d. after 331 AH / 942 CE), documenting 9th- and 10th-century maritime trade voyages across the Indian Ocean to India and China Rihlat al-Sirafi+1.

Composition and Sources

The compiler, Abu Zayd al-Hasan al-Sirafi, was a resident of Basra originally from Siraf Rihlat al-Sirafi+1. Although he was not a seafaring traveler himself, he gathered, authenticated, and edited firsthand reports from merchants and navigators who frequented the maritime routes connecting the Persian Gulf with East and South Asia Rihlat al-Sirafi+1.

The work incorporates two principal travel accounts:

• The Account of Sulayman the Merchant: An account dating to approximately 237 AH (851 CE), describing multiple trading voyages to India and China, which provided accurate nautical, commercial, and geographical details Rihlat al-Sirafi+1.
• The Narrative of Ibn Wahb al-Qurashi: A prominent resident of Basra who departed for China following the Zanj rebellion and the sacking of Basra in 257 AH (871 CE) Rihlat al-Sirafi+1. Ibn Wahb traveled inland to the imperial capital of Chang'an (Khamdan) and secured an audience with the Emperor of China before returning to Iraq Rihlat al-Sirafi+1.

Abu Zayd edited and completed the compilation around 302 AH (916 CE) Mujaz Dairat al-Maarif al…. The historian Al-Mas'udi met Abu Zayd in 303 AH and obtained Ibn Wahb's account directly from him, incorporating parts of it into his own historical writings Rihlat al-Sirafi.

Scope and Contents

The book outlines the navigational stages of the sea route from Siraf and Muscat to the Chinese port of Canton (Khanfu), a journey that took over four months Rihlat al-Sirafi+1. It traces the route passing through Kollam (Quilon) on the Malabar coast, the Palk Strait north of Ceylon, the Bay of Bengal, the Nicobar Islands (Lanjava/Lanjabalus), Kalah Bar on the western coast of the Malay Peninsula, Tioman Island, Cape Saint Jacques near Saigon, and Hainan Island before arriving at Canton Rihlat al-Sirafi.

In addition to calculating distances in days and parasangs, the text offers detailed descriptions of:

• Ports, islands, and coastlines along the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea Rihlat al-Sirafi+1.
• Trade goods, including silk, porcelain, camphor, spices, and ivory Rihlat al-Sirafi+2.
• The social customs, governance, judicial practices, and religious traditions of the peoples of India and China Rihlat al-Sirafi+1.
• The disruption of direct Arab trade with China after the destruction of the foreign merchant community in Canton in 264 AH (878 CE), which made Kalah the terminal port for Muslim vessels for an extended period Rihlat al-Sirafi.

Manuscript Tradition and Modern Editions

The text has survived in a single manuscript preserved at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris Rihlat al-Sirafi. Copyists appended an extraneous introduction and assigned the manuscript the title Silsilat al-Tawarikh (Chain of Chronicles) Rihlat al-Sirafi.

The work drew early European scholarly interest; a French translation was published in 1718 CE Rihlat al-Sirafi. The French orientalist Joseph Toussaint Reinaud edited and published the Arabic text in 1811 under the manuscript title Silsilat al-Tawarikh Rihlat al-Sirafi. It was later critically re-edited and translated by Gabriel Ferrand, who analyzed its itineraries against modern cartographical and geographical data Rihlat al-Sirafi+1.