التصوير الجمالي والثقافي في رحلة "على نهر كونهار" لمريم البادي: دراسة نقدية تحليلية

The Aesthetic and Cultural Depiction in Maryam Al-Badi’s Travelogue on the Kunhar River: A Critical and Analytical Study

Abstract

This paper investigates the aesthetic and cultural representation in On the Kunhar River by Maryam Al-Badi, reading the travel narrative as a literary discourse that reconstructs northern Pakistan not merely through geographical description but through poetic space-making and cultural observation. The study argues that the text produces a multilayered representation of place, where mountains, snow, and the river become symbolic and sensory agents shaping the narrator’s emotional and reflective experience. Through a close analytical approach supported by textual evidence from the book, the paper explores the poetics of landscape (color, magnitude, sound, and affect) and the cultural depiction of local society (mobility constraints, communal cooperation, and organized tourist transportation). It also highlights the role of myth and legend—particularly the tale associated with Saif al-Muluk—as a cultural narrative that deepens the meaning of the natural scene and enhances its literary impact. The findings demonstrate that Al-Badi’s travelogue achieves a double function: aesthetic pleasure through vivid imagery and contemplative tone, and cultural knowledge through documenting everyday practices and social values in a mountainous environment.