On Monday, November 17, 2025, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Al al-Bayt University held a scientific symposium entitled "Travel Literature: Experiences, Paths, Visions, and Horizons," under the patronage of His Excellency Professor, the President of the University, and with the participation of a selection of faculty members from Al al-Bayt University and Jadara University, in an event aimed at highlighting this field of knowledge that combines history, literature, geography, and cultural and social studies.

The symposium opened with a welcoming speech, followed by the scientific session, which was managed by Prof. Muntha Al-Harahsheh, from the Department of Arabic Language and Literature. Participants from the fields of history and Arabic literature presented research papers that reflected the richness and importance of this literary genre, and showed how narration intersects with analysis, text with place, and journey with human consciousness.

Prof. Asma Khsawneh, Professor of History at Jadara University, presented a scientific paper entitled: "Social Conditions in Jordan through Burckhardt's Journey," in which she analytically examined aspects of Jordanian society from the perspective of the Swiss traveler Burckhardt. Prof. Anwar Al-Khalidi, Professor of History at Al al-Bayt University, presented a scientific paper entitled: Manifestations of Historical Discourse in the Eyes of Travelers to Jordan in the Modern Era, in which he presented the historical facts of Jordan in the sources of travelers and Arab geographers, which embody the identity of the place and its historical roots. Prof. Muntha Al-Harahsheh, Professor of Modern Literature at Al al-Bayt University, presented a paper entitled "Anticipating Change: The Image of the Island of Malta in Ahmed Fares Al-Shidyaq's Journey Between Reality and Enlightenment," in which she reviewed the most prominent features of society in Malta from Al-Shidyaq's perspective, represented by its customs, traditions, and values ​​in which Maltese society differs from the Arab perspective. Dr. Hana Al-Shaloul, Professor of Grammar and Language at Jadara University, presented a scientific paper entitled: "The Semiotics of Place in Travel Literature from Description to Interpretation," in which she dealt with the semiotic dimension of place, and how its mental representations, in its transition from the physical and geographical dimension to the mental and conceptual dimension in the achievement of travel literature. Dr. Khader Al-Sarhan, Professor of History at Al al-Bayt University, presented a paper entitled "The Other in Ibn Fadlan," in which he dealt with an in-depth reading of Ibn Fadlan's vision in his journey, which is considered the most famous Arab journey in the Middle Ages, to the land of the Saqaliba (present-day Russia and its surroundings) as part of a diplomatic and religious mission, highlighting the miraculous features in his long journey to a number of peoples, such as: the Turks, the Saqaliba, the Rus (the Varangians), who are from the Viking peoples, the Hephthalite and Bashgard tribes, and how their daily lives, religions, clothing, customs, food, and lifestyles.

These papers enriched the scientific discussion and showed how the historian complements the writer, and how textual reading is juxtaposed with contextual reading to create a broader cognitive map of this art.

The symposium was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, the Vice Dean, the Head of the Department of Arabic Language and Literature, a number of faculty members in the college, students, and guests from the local community. The Dean of the College, on behalf of the President of the University, the patron of the symposium, thanked the participants and attendees, stressing that such scientific meetings embody the role of the Faculty of Arts as a space for dialogue and intellectual production, noting that literature remains the deepest mirror that reflects man and his experience.​