Abū Manṣūr al-Ṯaʿālibī’s Ḫaṣāʾiṣ al-buldān: A Study of an adīb’s Geography, Stereotypes and Lists

This article focuses on al-Ta‘ālibī’s (d. 429/1038) works and excerpts of his works dealing with hasā’is al-buldān, i.e. specificities of lands and cities. In the first part, I present al-Ta‘ālibī’s numerous excerpts on hasā’is, and discuss the work entitled Hasā’is al-buldān, its textual history and attribution to al-Ta‘ālibī. I then sketch al-Ta‘ālibī’s travels, firsthand and secondhand geographical knowledge, and sources in order to analyse the contents and form of his hasā’is. The textual investigation aims at showing al-Ta‘ālibī’s usage of common adab features such as intertextuality, lexicographical items and lists to support specific claims of his writing and to reinforce a certain representation of the world based on adab stereotypes and clichés.