In the vicinity of the righteous
Subtitle: ziyāra and the veneration of Muslim saints in late medieval Egypt
By: by Christopher S. Taylor.
Series: Islamic history and civilization.; v. 22
Publisher: Brill
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Leiden; Boston
Language: eng
Number of pages: 264
Subjects: Muslim saints -- Egypt -- History.; Saints -- Cult -- Egypt -- History.; Sufism -- Egypt -- History.; Egypt -- History -- 640-1882.
Description: The first in-depth scholarly study of the institution of ziyara (visiting tombs), and its central role in the cult of Muslim saints in late medieval Egypt (1200-1500 A.D.), this book makes an original contribution to the social history of religion.

It explores the range of meanings that saints held for the contemporary imagination through richly textured descriptions and analysis of the great cemetery of al-Qarafa, the rituals of the ziyara, and the entertaining stories told to pious visitors about the saints. It thus provides a vivid sense of this vital expression of Muslim spirituality.

Through an examination of legal debates surrounding ziyara, the dichotomous view of 'high' versus 'popular' religion is effectively challenged in favor of a more fluid model of cultural discourse.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [239]-249) and index.