Socio-Cultural Imagology of Iranians in the Fourth Century AH Based on Ibn Hawqal’s Surat al-Ard: A Comparative Literature Perspective

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mohammadreza Pakdaman ¹

Ehsan Ghabool ²

Abdollah Radmard ²

¹ PhD Student of Persian Language & Literature, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

² Associate Professor of Persian Language & Literature, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22067/jall.2026.94240.1556

Abstract

Imagology constitutes a significant subfield of comparative literature that investigates the representation of one nation or culture within the literary discourse of another. Travelogues, in particular, provide a rich source for imagological inquiry due to their inclusion of diverse and multifaceted cultural images. A notable example in Arabic literature is Ibn Hawqal’s Surat al-Ard, which offers detailed depictions of various regions of Iran during the fourth century AH (tenth century CE). This study analyzes and evaluates the positive and negative images of Iranian society constructed in Surat al-Ard, with particular attention to cultural and social indicators. Adopting a content analysis approach, the research identifies and categorizes cultural concepts embedded in the text. These images are subsequently classified as positive or negative according to linguistic markers and broader textual context. Statistical analysis is then employed to determine the frequency of each cultural category and to examine the underlying factors shaping their representation. The findings reveal that the most prominent positive cultural images are associated with the regions of Fars, Transoxiana, Jibal, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Arran, Kerman and Sistan, Daylam and Tabaristan, Khorasan, and Khuzestan. Overall, 90% of the images are positive and 10% negative, reflecting Ibn Hawqal’s predominantly favorable perspective toward Iranian culture and society in the fourth century AH. This positive orientation can be attributed to the cultural and societal affinities between Iranian society and Ibn Hawqal’s conception of an ideal society, as well as his comparative evaluation of Iranians in relation to other ethnic groups. Certain positive images also derive from inherited or stereotypical representations adopted from earlier sources. The most salient socio-cultural images in the text pertain to ethnic traits, moral characteristics, social structures, rituals, beliefs, language, clothing, and cultural figures.
 

Keywords

Imagology

Iran

Culture

Comparative Literature

Surat Al-Ard

Ibn Hawqal

Subjects

• Literary Criticism

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