In Darfur

An Account of the Sultanate and Its People, Volume Two

Nonfiction, Travel, Africa, History
Cover of the book In Darfur by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies, NYU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies ISBN: 9781479861842
Publisher: NYU Press Publication: May 8, 2018
Imprint: NYU Press Language: English
Author: Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
ISBN: 9781479861842
Publisher: NYU Press
Publication: May 8, 2018
Imprint: NYU Press
Language: English

A merchant’s account of his travels through an independent African state

Muhammad ibn 'Umar al-Tunisi 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 Two, al-Tunisi describes the geography of the region, the customs of Darfur’s petty kings, court life and the clothing of its rulers, marriage customs, eunuchs, illnesses, food, hunting, animals, currencies, plants, magic, divination, and dances. 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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A merchant’s account of his travels through an independent African state

Muhammad ibn 'Umar al-Tunisi 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 Two, al-Tunisi describes the geography of the region, the customs of Darfur’s petty kings, court life and the clothing of its rulers, marriage customs, eunuchs, illnesses, food, hunting, animals, currencies, plants, magic, divination, and dances. 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.

More books from NYU Press

Cover of the book Well Met by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
Cover of the book Sex and Sexuality in Early America by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
Cover of the book Spinsters and Lesbians by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
Cover of the book When Sorry Isn't Enough by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
Cover of the book Employment of English by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
Cover of the book Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded, with Risible Rhymes by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
Cover of the book Nature's Perfect Food by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
Cover of the book Doing Time in the Depression by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
Cover of the book Technomobility in China by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
Cover of the book Coming Clean by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
Cover of the book Superdads by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
Cover of the book Playing it Safe by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
Cover of the book How To Watch Television by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
Cover of the book Failing Families, Failing Science by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
Cover of the book Artificial Parts, Practical Lives by Muhammad al-Tunisi, Humphrey Davies
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy