Latest / Timbuktu: Africa's Forgotten Center of Knowledge — Fexingo History
The Tarikh al-Sudan Chronicle That Preserved Timbuktu's Legacy
This episode explores the 'Tarikh al-Sudan', a 17th-century chronicle written by Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi that remains a cornerstone of West African historiography. We follow al-Sadi's life as a scholar in Timbuktu after the devastating Moroccan invasion of 1591, and how he compiled the history of the Songhai Empire, Mali, and the city's golden age. The chronicle survives in multiple manuscripts, offering details on rulers, scholars, and everyday life along the Niger Bend. We discuss how it was used by later historians, its biases, and why it's treasured today as a…
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