Abu Salim al-Ayyashi
Encyclopedia
Abu Salim Abdallah Ibn Mohammed al-Ayyashi (1628–1679) was a well-known travel writer, poet and scholar from Morocco. He was born in a small village in Tafilalt
. His father was the head of a zawiyya. Al-Ayyashi lived and studied in Fez
and joined the Sufi order of the Nasiriyya
in Tamegroute
. He travelled three times to the Hijaz in 1649, 1653 and 1661 and stayed for long periods in Mecca
, Medina
, Jerusalem and Cairo
. He wrote a two volume rihla about his journeys: Ma al-Mawaid (Table Water). During his travels he also wrote poetry. He is also the author of The Gift of the Close Friends.
Tafilalt
Tafilalt or Tafilet is a region and the most important oasis of the Moroccan Sahara; it is also considered one of the largest oases in the world, the oasis is entirely located along the Ziz River. The oasis is ten days' journey south of Fez, across the Atlas Mountains...
. His father was the head of a zawiyya. Al-Ayyashi lived and studied in Fez
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
and joined the Sufi order of the Nasiriyya
Nasiriyya
The Nasiriyya is a Sufi order founded by Sidi Mohammed ibn Nasir al-Drawi whose centre was Tamegroute-Bibliography:* Ph.D. Thesis: by David Gutelius. Johns Hopkins University, 2001....
in Tamegroute
Tamegroute
Tamegroute is a village in the south of Morocco, in the valley of the Draa River. It has a history as an important center of learning and religion through its famous Sufi zawiya, historical center of the Nasiriyya Sufi order, one of the most influential - and at one time one of the largest - Sufi...
. He travelled three times to the Hijaz in 1649, 1653 and 1661 and stayed for long periods in Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
, Jerusalem and Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. He wrote a two volume rihla about his journeys: Ma al-Mawaid (Table Water). During his travels he also wrote poetry. He is also the author of The Gift of the Close Friends.