Journey to the Orient

Journey to the Orient is about the travels of Gerard de Nerval, which continued for nearly one year, starting in January 1843. He reached Cairo via Marseille, Malta, and Alexandria and then to Constantinople. In the introduction part of the book, Towards the East, it is mentioned about the European travels of the author that he went on starting from October 1839 till March 1840.

Nerval, who wants to discover his own origins and the source of his imagination power like other travelers under the influence of the Enlightenment, searches for this in the Eastern cities. During his search, he presents to us the traditions and customs of Eastern life, its religious differences, fairy tales and legends, Eastern people, and their daily life with an objective approach. In this book, going beyond a panoramic view of cities that Nerval visits, we find information about their historical, communal, and political orders and details about their cultural structure. At the same time, we also have the opportunity to make an unbiased comparison of Eastern-Western cities and discuss the impact of the Tanzimat Reform Era on Eastern cities. This writing is about the interpretation of architectural elements and depictions mentioned in the book, on the axis of information relating to cities and details about daily lives as presented by Nerval.

Keywords: Architectural elements of Eastern cities, Beirut, Cairo, Coffee houses, Constantinople, Daily lives of Eastern people, Ethnic structure of Constantinople, Everyday life and architecture, Grand tour, Journey, Levant, Muslim cemeteries, Orient, Orientalism, Ramadan and feasts in Constantinople, The Idea of ‘Voyage du Levant’, Traditions and Customs, Travel idea of enlightenment era, Urban and street fiction of Eastern cities.