The Gates of The Sea. Recounting the African Ports and Cities through the Memoirs of Anselm Adorns and Late Medieval Travellers

The chapter aims to investigate the descriptions of North African port cities by Bruges pilgrim Anselm Adornes, and critically compare it with those of other 15th century travellers. In particular, it will compare Adornes’ perceptions and thoughts regarding religious traditions, local customs, and all aspects of myth, culture, and folklore, with those of other contemporary travellers and writers, bringing out both shared opinions and Adornes’ own unique viewpoint. The focus will be on the relationship between the travellers, between Western gazes and the Arab world, individual circumstances and the character of their accounts, and on the authors’ different responses to their encounters with the vibrant and diverse world of North Africa. Adornes’ arrival at the ports and cities of North Africa represents his contact not only with local communities but also, by extension, with people, goods, ideas from across the African continent.