Travels of Ibn Baṭṭūṭa
Tripoli, Lebanon (Ṭarābulus)
Title
The drum-band plays before the residence of Tripoli's amīrs
Short description
The drum-band plays before the residence of Tripoli's amīrs. According to Gibb (Vol. I, p. 89, n. 80) "A considerable proportion of the 'forty amīrs' mentioned above must, however, have been below the rank entitled to this distinction."
Text on source
وبهذه المدينة نحو أربعين من أمراء الأتراك، وأميرها طيلان الحاجب المعروف بملك الأمراء ومسكنه منه بالدار المعروفة بدار السعادة، ومن عوائده أنْ يَرْكَبَ في كل يوم إثنين وخميس ويركب معه الأمراء والعساكر ويخرج إلى ظاهر المدينة، فإذا عاد إليها وقارَبَ الوصول إلى منزله ترجّل الأمراءُ ونزلوا عن دوابهم ومشوا بين يديه حتى يَدْخُلَ منزله وينصرفون. وتُضْرَب الطبلخانة عند دار كل أمير منهم بعد صلاة المغرب من كل يوم وتوقد المشاعل [ص. ٤٧]
English translation
In this town there are about forty amīrs of the Turks; its governor is the chamberlain Taylān, known as 'king of the amirs', and his residence there is in the mansion known as Dār al-Saʿādah ['the Abode of Felicity']. It is a habit of his to ride out every Monday and Thursday, the amīrs and regular troops also riding with him, and proceed thus into the open country beyond the town. On returning to it, and as he approaches his residence, the amīrs dismount, hand over their horses, and walk before him on foot until he enters his house, when they disperse. The drum-band [ṭablḫāna] plays before the residence of each of these amīrs every day after the sunset prayer, and torches are lit as well.
Folios/Pages
87-88
Date
1330
Observations on the events description
“t.ablkhānah (the drum house), [was] practiced by military bands in Muslim lands. These bands were initially used in battle to inspire the soldiers as well as to overwhelm the enemy. They also were used as an emblem of royalty.” (Shiloah, 2015).
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., "The drum-band plays before the residence of Tripoli's amīrs" (Event description), Echos. Sound Ecosystems in Travelogues. Published 2024 07 02.doi: 10.25430/echos.travels.130
This work is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 
