The translation activities of al-nahda period and the impact of the Madrasat al-alsun (School of Tongues) on the modernization of Egypt

An-Nahda is a literary and cultural movement which was born in Syria and Lebanon and developed in Egypt during the 1830s with the influence of Europe. It is defined as a movement of 'awakening' and 'return to the origins', also called the 'Arab Renaissance'. It lasted nearly a century and left enduring influences on Islamic world and especially on Egypt. One of the most important essentials of this movement, perhaps the most important, is the scientific, cultural and literary translations from European languages, especially from French. These translations mostly have been in the form of planned activities supported by the administrations in addition to those personal efforts. Medreset al-alsun, founded by Rifaʿa Râfiʿ eṭ-Ṭahṭâvî (1801-1873) with the support of Mehmed Ali Pasha (1769-1849), is the most significant institution established in this context, perhaps comparable only with the Bait al- hikma of Abbasid period. This study consists of an introduction and four parts: In the introduction, after an overview of the history of translation in the Islamic world before the 19th century, the translation activities initiated by Napoleon Bonaparte during his invasion of Egypt have been identified. In the first part, the translation activities in the period of Kavalalı Mehmed Ali Pasha are discussed. In the second part, the life and role of Ṭahṭâvî, who contributed a lot to these translation activities and who is one of the leading names of Madrasatü'l-elsün, is emphasized. In the third part, the situation of translation activities after Kavalalı Mehmed Ali Pasha was discussed, and in the last part, the translated books and the effect of this translation activity on Egyptian society were explained. Our study aims to investigate the translation activities in al-Nahda period and the relevance of these activities to the modernization and colonization of Egypt in the context of Madrasat al-alsun. To a better contextualization of investigation the translation movements of previous centuries and the rationale behind those movements are also briefly examined. Thus a kind of inductive-descriptive method was used throughout the research. However, an analytical method has been applied in the last chapter, to determine the traces of the translations, primarily on those in charge and intellectuals, and then on the Egyptian society.