Turkish archival sources for West African history

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Periodical article

Title:	Turkish archival sources for West African history
Author:	Martin, B.G.
Year:	1967
Periodical:	African Studies Bulletin (ISSN 0568-1537)
Volume:	10
Issue:	3
Pages:	59-65
Language:	English
Geographic term:	West Africa
Subjects:	archives bibliographies (form)
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/523229
Abstract:	For several reasons the work of a generation of historians who had often been colonial officials and who deliberately avoided Islamic subjects began to look one-sided and inadequate in the light of new Arabic manuscript discoveries in West Africa during the 1950's and early 1960's. This Arabic manuscript material, which has still to be exploited systematically and catalogued fully, will yet provide many surprises. The bulk of it being from the 19th century, there is still a good amount from the 18th century and before. With regard to other Islamic languages: there might be some Persian material. The material in Ottoman Turkish and Arabic in the Turkish state and other archives in Turkey are comparatively unexplored as far as East Africa goes but for West Africa the archival material is relevant largely in its connection to Egypt, Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers. After information about the Turkish archives and those in Libya, Tunisia and Algiers, an instance is given showing how useful Ottoman archives may be in elucidating a historical problem (relations of Bornu with Tripoli and Turkey). Notes.