Comparative Perspectives on Religious Tourism: Al Ayyashi and Mark Twain's Travel Narratives

Religious tourism and travel writing are two of a kind as they are closely related. The current study aims at exploring the relationship between religious tourism and travel writing and how travel writing can promote religious tourism and vice versa. The study relies heavily on both Al Ayyashi and Twain travel narratives to exhaust its claims that travel writing promotes religious tourism. Abu Salem Abdullah b. Muhammad b. Abi Bakr al-Ayyashi (1627 - 1679) is a traveler and a Moroccan theologian. He is the author of the famous journey "The Water of the Banquets". Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 - 1910), also known as Mark Twain, was a famous American writer and humorist who is best known for his novels "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." He did indeed write several travel books, including "The Innocents Abroad," which describes his journey to Europe and the Holy Land. Twain was a popular and influential figure in American literature, and his works continue to be widely read and admired today.The paper illustrates, depicts and documents what travel writing can offer readers as tourists in general or religious tourists in particular. As such, the study reads both Twain and Al Ayyashi narratives, describes their travel routes, communities they visit, their related episodes and their effect on boosting religious tourism. The present work concludes that travel writing is a valuable tool in promoting tourism in general and religious tourism in particular. Travel writing can promote religious tourism and encourage people to travel, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which has had a significant impact on the tourism industry. Travel writing can play a role in promoting religious tourism by highlighting the spiritual and cultural significance of different destinations and providing information about the various religious experiences that are available. This can include descriptions of the history and architecture of religious sites, the rituals and traditions that are practiced at these locations, and the cultural and spiritual significance of different festivals and events.