The six-week journey over the Nile

The six-week journey over the Nile by Ahmed Ihsan ... The journey of "Alati Hatha Siyahat" or the "Six Weeks Over the Nile" by writer Ahmed Ihsan remained unknown to Arab readers and scholars, and was not mentioned in previous studies that dealt with the journeys made by the Turks to Egypt... The text of the journey was found in its first edition in his Ottoman Turkish language, and this journey was printed in Istanbul in 1895 and published by the World Printing House owned by the writer. Dr. Ahmed Abdullah translated it, and it was published by the National Center for Translation, adding a number of footnotes and comments that represented a significant effort in translation. The importance of this book, by the Turkish writer Ahmed Ihsan, lies in that it covers the first and only Turkish journey until the late 19th century, which was conducted via the Nile from start to finish, and it detailed the cities of Upper Egypt and their monuments. This unique journey is a view of Egypt through the eyes of the other, represented by that Ottoman writer of Western culture, in which we glimpse a spirit of admiration, critique, and amazement at Egypt and its ancient civilization, as well as criticism of some negative appearances and behaviors he observed. This is the same spirit that dominates most foreign tourists and travelers coming to Egypt. The writer, in his admiration for the ancient Egyptian monuments, says: "The Temple of Karnak is a world whose آثار (remnants) of Egypt's ancient civilization are too vast for volumes to study, and they belong to the rulers who governed Egypt throughout history since 2800 BC." In another place, he says: "The Temple of Abu Simbel is the most complete and most majestic in the land of Nubia." In his critique of some negative images he saw, he states: "The condition of the children in the nearby villages deeply calls for sorrow and regret, as swarms of flies surrounded the eyes of children suffering from conjunctivitis. Neither the children themselves nor their fathers or mothers paid attention or moved to chase away these flies, and I believe that the blindness that will afflict most of the residents will arise from this neglect in facing this matter."