The Universe in Paris 1900

The account of the Universal Exhibition of 1900 delivered by Ahmad Zaki (1867-1934), nicknamed by his contemporaries "the great master of Arabism" (Chaykh al-uruba), is strongly distinguished from the guides and reports which have been published in Europe. This Egyptian scholar, who came from Cairo specifically to visit the Exhibition, brings this extraordinary event in the history of Paris to life in a new light.

The Universe in Paris 1900 invites you to discover the Exhibition in all its facets, from its gestation to visits to the national pavilions or unexpected exhibitions. Written in the form of a diary, this chronicle meticulously retraces the daily life of Parisians. The author shares his enthusiasms and irritations in a lively style, nourished by verses, proverbs and popular maxims belonging to Arab culture. His text, translated for the first time by Randa Sabry, is offered in full in an annotated edition enriched by contributions from Mercedes Volait, Randa Sabry, Alice Thomine-Berrada and Sabine Mangold-Will, and by partly unpublished iconography collected by Anne-Laure Brisac-Chraïbi.

With the INHA

• 20 x 25.5 cm
• 256 pages
• 185 illustrations
• Hardcover
• ISBN: 978-2-91554-2721

Text in French only

Ahmad Zaki

Mercedes Volait (dir.) est directeur de recherche au CNRS, directeur du laboratoire InVisu à l’INHA.

Randa Sabry (traduction) est professeur au département de langue et littérature françaises à l’université du Caire.

Alice Thomine-Berrada est conservateur en chef en charge des collections d’architecture, musée d’Orsay.

Sabine Mangold-Will est professeur d’histoire moderne et contemporaine, à la Bergische Universität Wuppertal.