An Azanian trio : : three East African Arabic historical documents / / translated and edited by James McL. Ritchie, Sigvard von Sicard.

• TeilnehmendeR: Ritchie, J. M.; Sicard, S. von 1930-
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden, The Netherlands ;, Boston : : Brill,, [2020]; ©2020
• Year of Publication: 2020
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource.

This work consists of the translation and annotation of three East African Arabic / Swahili manuscripts together with the original texts. They cover aspects of the history of the coast from the early Himyaritic period up to the beginning of the 20th century. By the use of earlier, in some cases hitherto unused Arabic sources, the authors of the texts have contributed to a fuller picture of the East African coastal history. The texts relate directly to works on East African coastal history that have appeared since the latter part of the 19th century. They are presented against the background of general Arabic and Islamic history. The annotations indicate, and some case stress, significant hints and references to matters that need to be borne in mind, along with archeological and other evidences.

Table of Contents

Introduction. -- Overview. -- Authorship -- The dating of the MSS -- The place of origin of the texts -- The language of the texts -- The differing attitudes or view-points of the writers -- The purpose of the documents -- The sources used by the author of the Kawkab -- His style and treatment of his subject -- How far are the three manuscripts credible? -- English translation of the manuscripts -- Kitāb al-Zunūj (K) -- Kitāb al-Zunūj (L) -- Kawkab al-durriya li-akhbār Ifrīqiya -- Appendix 1. Kawkab al-durriya-marginal notes -- Appendix 2. Swahilisms in the Arabic text and other peculiarities -- Appendix 3. Comets listed for late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries -- Appendix 4. Quatrain : a Swahili quatrain in Arabic script -- Appendix 5. Chole-Juli -- Appendix 6. Vasco da Gama's first visit -- Appendix 7. Chronology-Timeline.