Arabic Proverbs

Product Code: DO-9788888849706      Price: $14.00

By John Lewis Burckhardt

• Invaluable to students of the modern Arabic dialect of Egypt
• Will appeal to anyone with an interest in Middle Eastern cultures

A pioneer in exploring remote parts of the Arab world, Swiss-born John Lewis Burckhardt (1784-1817) spent much of his brief life traveling disguised as a Moslem pilgrim, acquiring along the way much knowledge of the Arabic language and Moslem manners and customs. This collection of proverbial sayings, collected during Burckhardt's travels and period of residence in Egypt, comprises a fascinating treasury of maxims, printed first in Arabic, then translated into English, and followed by a commentary or explanation of the sense or idiom. Included are such vintage adages as "more voracious than a camel tick," "A thousand cranes in the air are not worth one sparrow in the fist," and others that convey a flavor of everyday Arabic life and attitudes. Unabridged republication of Arabic Proverbs; or The Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians, originally published by J. Murray, London, 1830.

304 pages, 5 3/8 x 8 1/2 inches