MANUSCRIPT IN ARABIC. [Account of the capture of Goury by Ah - Lot 269

MANUSCRIPT IN ARABIC. [Account of the capture of Goury by Ahmadou Tall, Amîr al-Mu'minîn of the Toucouleur Empire (1886-1887)]. [West Africa, late 19th century]. [26] pp. including 3 blank (22.5 x14.5 cm), text between 13 and 16 lines in long Arabic script entirely vocalized, violet ink mixed with gold powder on paper, presence of advertisements. West African MANUSCRIT documenting the military expedition marking the end of the Toucouleur Empire ruled by Ahmadou Tall, son of Umar Tall, the man known as Umar al-Hajj (c. 1796-1865) and founder of the Toucouleur Empire (1848-1890). In this text, presumably copied by a copyist and adviser to Ahmadou Tall (reign 1864-1890), believed to be Saʿid Jeliya, Ahmadou is referred to as amīr al-mu'minīn. The narrative records the story of an expedition against the inhabitants of Diafounou who refused to submit to Ahmadou. The copyist is possibly the author of the text, and it is highly probable that he was a direct witness to the events reported. This is a unique autograph copy, making it a rare witness to the history of this empire. This copy was made by "Saidou Jélia", or Saʿid Jeliya, known as a copyist and advisor to the court of Ahmadou Tall. The events reported in this story date from 1886-1887. The manuscript includes a pencil note on the first page, probably written by a member of the French colonial administration. The Toucouleur Empire ceased to exist in 1890 with the capture of Ségou by the French colonial army led by Louis Archinard. The copy can therefore be dated to 1886-1890. The pencil note on the first page reads "Manuscrit arabe rédigé par Saidou Jélia, talibé d'Ahmadou fils d'El-Hadj Oumar, sur l'expédition de Goury. Communiqué par M. Blanc, administrateur de Niori qui en donne une traduction au Comité d'études historiques et scientifiques de l'AOF. 1922 ". It also indicates the existence of a French translation of this Arabic manuscript by E. Blanc, administrator of Niori (present-day Mali, ex-French Sudan). This was published in the Bulletin du comité d'études historiques et scientifiques de l'Afrique Occidentale Française in 1924 in a contribution entitled "Contribution à l'histoire de populations et de l'histoire du Sahal Soudanais".