Travels of Ibn Baṭṭūṭa
Bursa (Prusa, Burṣā)
Title
ʿĀšūrāʾ celebration at a prominent zāwiya
Short description
The author joins the ʿĀšūrāʾ's celebration at a prominent zāwiya. The ʿĀšūrāʾ is a supererogatory fasting practised in the tenth day of Muḥarram, the first month in the Islamic calendar (see ʿĀshūrāʾ, EI-2).
Text on source
ونزلنا في هذه المدينة بزاوية الفتى أخي شمس الدين من كبار الفتيان، ووافقنا عنده يوم عاشوراء فصنع طعامًا كثيرًا ودعا وجوه العسكر وأهل المدينة ليلًا وأفطروا عنده وقرأ القراء بالأصوات الحسنة، وحضر الفقيه الواعظ مجد الدين القونوي ووَعَظَ وذَكّرَ وأَحْسَنَ، ثم أخذوا في السماع والرقص وكانت ليلة عظيمة الشأن [ص. ٢١٧]
English translation
We lodged in this city at the hospice of the Young Akhī Shams al-Dīn, one of the leaders of the fityān, and happened to be staying with him on the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ. He made a great feast to which he invited the principal officers of the army and leading citizens during the night, and when they had broken their fast the Qurʾān-readers recited with beautiful voices. The jurist and preacher Majd al-Dīn al-Qūnawī attended the gathering, and delivered an eloquent homily and exhortation, after which they began the samāʿ and dancing. It
was a truly sublime night.
Folios/Pages
450
Date
1333 09 21
Observations on the events description
The practice of samāʿ (lit. "audition"), usually refers to Sufi practices involving music and dances. It is worth noticing that the author here seems here again to distinguish samāʿ from dancing (see Event 27 in this Travel).
The dots on the map indicate the places where sound and music events were described. They don't represent travel stages.
Participants
No other participants in this event description.
How to quote
Pintimalli A., "ʿĀšūrāʾ celebration at a prominent zāwiya" (Event description), Echos. Sound Ecosystems in Travelogues. Published 2024 05 29.doi: 10.25430/echos.travels.130
This work is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 
