On a hazy morning early in 1922, Leopold Weiss stood on the planks of a ship on his way to the East where he would experience his first Arab encounters, as if they were a presentiment of what the future held in store for him. After several months of travel in the Middle East, Leopold Weiss returned to Germany and published his journal entries as Unromantisches Morgenland, aus dem Tagebuch einer Reise. This first English translation of a long forgotten work recaptures his initial experiences in an unknown and intriguing land where he found a new home and a new sense of belonging.

The Unromantic Orient is not only an impressionistic journal of a young man in search of certitude, it also provides insights into the spiritual transformation of Leopold Weiss who would soon convert to Islam and spend the rest of his life in studying and writing about it. The travelogue starts on March 14, 1922 at the Jerusalem train station and takes us through Cairo, Amman, parts of the Transjordan, Palestine, Damascus and Istanbul. The book includes 32 pages of Muhammad Asad’s original photos taken in 1922.

 

The Unromantic Orient
Muhammad Asad
Translated from the German by Elma Ruth Harder
Includes 32 pages of original photographs
taken in 1922
Paperback 192 pages,
ISBN 0-9732333-2-X
Price: US $20.00