الأسطورة والحكاية الشعبية وأثرها في ثقافة الرحالة المسلمين

Abstract

ِAbstractThis paper aims at giving an insight into records used as subject matter for writing down history. Those records were the resources of geography and travels. It also aims at distinguishing history from imagination of the traveler when he tried to describe the place he passed by. Those true/ false records had found their way into the Arab Islamic culture in one way or another. Such records were considered as historical facts/ historically admitted by a number of historians-Those records were rich in the travelers imagination on which he was keen to mention in his travel for a variety of reasons: miracles he witnessed, strange sayings or incidents he heard about or witnessed relative to the citizens of the places he passed by.This paper demonstrates three types of travels . In the first type the traveler depended upon whatever he was told/ he heard about he stories and circumstances of the areas he passed by. He carried such things as they were without any criticism or refusal of his own. In the second type the traveler put the historical facts together with legends which contradict with demonstrating a complete historical background of the incident relative to the place he wanted to describe. In the third type the traveler had been very precise and faithful in his investigation.