In Darfur: An Account of the Sultanate and Its People, Volume One (Library of Arabic Literature (12))

Description

A merchant’s account of his travels through an independent African state Muhammad ibn 'Umar al-Tunisi (d. 1274/1857) belonged to a family of Tunisian merchants trading with Egypt and what is now Sudan. Al-Tunisi was raised in Cairo and a graduate of al-Azhar. In 1803, at the age of fourteen, al-Tunisi set off for the Sultanate of Darfur, where his father had decamped ten years earlier. He followed the Forty Days Road, was reunited with his father, and eventually took over the management of the considerable estates granted to his father by the sultan of Darfur. In Darfur is al-Tunisi’s remarkable account of his ten-year sojourn in this independent state. In Volume One, al-Tunisi relates the history of his much-traveled family, his journey from Egypt to Darfur, and the reign of the noted sultan 'Abd al-Rahman al-Rashid. In Darfur combines literature, history, ethnography, linguistics, and travel adventure, and most unusually for its time, includes fifty-two illustrations, all drawn by the author. In Darfur is a rare example of an Arab description of Africa on the eve of Western colonization and vividly evokes a world in which travel was untrammeled by bureaucracy, borders were fluid, and startling coincidences appear almost mundane. A bilingual Arabic-English edition. Cover In Darfur Title Copyright Table of Contents Letter from the General Editor Map 1: The Author’s World: from Mali to Mecca Map 2: Darfur IN DARFUR, VOLUME TWO The Book Proper, in three chapters Chapter 1: A Description of Darfur and Its People, of Their Customs and the Customs of Their Kings, and of the Names of the Positions and Ranks Held by the Latter, in five sections Section 1: A Description of Darfur Section 2: Customs of the Kings of the Fur Section 3: On the Offices Held by the Kings of the Fur Section 4: The Functioning of the Sultan’s Court Section 5: Garments of the Kings of the Fur Chapter 2, in two sections Section 1: Marriage Practices among the Fur Section 2: Eunuchs (Known in Egypt as Ṭawāshiyah) Chapter 3, in two sections Section 1: Sicknesses of the Blacks; Their Dishes; the Healthiness of Their Various Climes; Hunting; and Some Animals Section 2: Currency among the People of Darfur A Chapter on the Plants That Grow in Darfur; on Magic, the Making of Amulets, and Geomancy; and on Other Matters Colophon Notes Glossary Bibliography List of Images Index About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute About the Typefaces Titles Published by the Library of Arabic Literature About the Editor–Translator