In Barbary

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

76665

Title

In Barbary

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

E. Alexander Powell's "In Barbary" offers a vivid travelogue through Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, blending historical depth with personal observation. The text explores the region's complex history of piracy, slavery, and colonial transition, capturing the stark beauty of the Sahara and the cultural friction between East and West.

Summary up to 500 words

In "In Barbary," E. Alexander Powell offers a sweeping travelogue of North Africa, traversing Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco while balancing admiration for the landscape with a critical eye toward historical cruelty and colonial dissonance. The narrative begins in Old Tunis, contrasting the Kasbah's pirate past as a corsair stronghold with its French colonial present. Powell details the grim history of Christian slavery, noting that captives were treated like beasts before rising in revolt during the Spanish siege of 1535. He highlights the intervention of St. Vincent de Paul, a Frenchman captured by corsairs who dedicated his life to ameliorating the wretched lot of captives. The journey continues to the Palace of the Bardo, described as the Tunisian Windsor. Powell critiques the clash between authentic Oriental aesthetics and garish European intrusions, noting how Victorian-era additions like crystal chandeliers and gilt furniture spoil the exquisite Moorish interiors. The text also examines the Bey's administration of justice, which retained an Oriental character despite French oversight, often involving dramatic public executions or the payment of blood-money to victims' families. Moving to Constantine, a city built on a massive rock, Powell laments the destruction of Roman ruins to make way for modern development. He describes the city's vibrant mix of Europeans and natives, the distinctive dress of Jewish women, and the haunting legends of the palace gardens, which he imagines as haunted by the wraiths of tortured captives. The narrative concludes with a visit to the "Accursed Baths" of Hammam Meskoutine, marveling at the petrified limestone cones formed by hot springs that have created a landscape resembling a petrified cascade. Throughout, Powell captures the unique atmosphere of a region where history, from Roman times to the present, is layered upon the land, creating a spectacle of surpassing beauty marred by the scars of conquest and cultural collision.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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data/epubs/pg76665.epub

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Categories

• History
• Travel