English Translation Pdf | Tarikh Al-sudan

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.

"Tarik al-Sudan" (also spelled "Tarikh al-Sudan" or "The History of the Sudan") is a historical manuscript written by Abd al-Rahman as-Sadi, a 17th-century Sudanese historian. The book is a significant source of information on the history of the Sudan region, covering the period from the 13th to the 17th century. tarikh al-sudan english translation pdf