The full 19th-century French translation by Octave Houdas is available for download on the Internet Archive Write-up: The Significance of Tarikh al-Sudan Tarikh al-Sudan (History of the Sudan), completed around by the Timbuktu scholar Abd al-Sadi
But don't let the name mislead you. The "Sudan" in the title refers to the vast sub-Saharan region known as the Bilad al-Sudan (Land of the Blacks), not the modern-day Republic of Sudan. Its scope is the mighty Songhay Empire (which covered parts of modern-day Mali, Niger, and Nigeria) and its legendary cities: Timbuktu and Djenné.
The translation of this text into English is a landmark in African studies. While the French scholar Octave Houdas first translated the text into French in 1898–1900, it was the late English translation, specifically John O. Hunwick’s Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sa‘di’s Tarikh al-Sudan (published in 1999), that truly opened the text to the Anglophone academic world. Hunwick, a renowned scholar of Islam in Africa, did not merely provide a literal translation; he offered a critical edition. His translation is accompanied by extensive annotation, genealogies, and a critical apparatus that helps the modern reader understand the nuances of 17th-century West African society.
Professor John Hunwick published .
Biographies of famous scholars, Islamic jurists, and the operations of the university system centered around the Sankore Mosque.
The full 19th-century French translation by Octave Houdas is available for download on the Internet Archive Write-up: The Significance of Tarikh al-Sudan Tarikh al-Sudan (History of the Sudan), completed around by the Timbuktu scholar Abd al-Sadi
But don't let the name mislead you. The "Sudan" in the title refers to the vast sub-Saharan region known as the Bilad al-Sudan (Land of the Blacks), not the modern-day Republic of Sudan. Its scope is the mighty Songhay Empire (which covered parts of modern-day Mali, Niger, and Nigeria) and its legendary cities: Timbuktu and Djenné. tarikh al-sudan english translation pdf
The translation of this text into English is a landmark in African studies. While the French scholar Octave Houdas first translated the text into French in 1898–1900, it was the late English translation, specifically John O. Hunwick’s Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sa‘di’s Tarikh al-Sudan (published in 1999), that truly opened the text to the Anglophone academic world. Hunwick, a renowned scholar of Islam in Africa, did not merely provide a literal translation; he offered a critical edition. His translation is accompanied by extensive annotation, genealogies, and a critical apparatus that helps the modern reader understand the nuances of 17th-century West African society. The full 19th-century French translation by Octave Houdas
Professor John Hunwick published .
Biographies of famous scholars, Islamic jurists, and the operations of the university system centered around the Sankore Mosque. The translation of this text into English is