Social History of Timbuktu: The Role of Muslim Scholars and Notables 1400–1900

by Elias Saad

Originally published in 1983, this book deals with the precolonial history of the Islamic West African city of Timbuktu. The book traces the fortunes of this fabled city from its origins in the twelfth century, and more especially from around 1400 onwards, to the French conquest in the late nineteenth century. The study rests upon a comprehensive utilisation of the Timbuktu sources, including the well-known chronicles or tarikhs of Timbuktu. The author focuses on the role of scholars and, in so doing, he provides a fresh study of a learned community in sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, the study shows that the scholars occupied a position of leadership and authority in the social structure of the city. Hence, in providing fuller understanding of the role of scholars and their status as 'notables', the work makes it possible to understand the enigma which has surrounded this extraordinary city throughout its history. It contributes an important perspective for historians of Africa, the Middle East and Islam.

Genres: History

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Noel Arnold · Rating 2 out of 5]

book #7 of 2024: Social History of Timbuktu: The Role of Muslim Scholars and Notables (1983) by scholar Elias Saad. this has to be the most boring book I’ve ever read and I read academic books regularly. it was quite literally simply a who’s who among the scholars and notables in the history of the city of Timbuktu with an interminable emphasis on Islam, Muslim record keepers, and any and everything else Muslim. the book was clearly a strident attempt by the author to establish himself as a scholar of note. both the introduction and the conclusion went on and on about what his study was attempting to achieve, though personally, I still don’t know what that was because he never gets to the point and uses the most endlessly formal and longwinded language in his effort to avoid saying anything meaningful. I read each word til I got to ~pg 70, after which I finally began scanning. I’d be stunned if anyone has actually read this entire book. it was so poorly written and redundant that I even read just the last sentences of each paragraph in the summary at the end. it’s almost impressive that someone could write so many words that say so very little: I learned nothing reading this book and I can’t wait to return it to the library. you may be wondering how I came upon this book in the first place…. there’s a book recommendation site called fivebooks.com, which I’m learning to trust less and less, sadly. this book was recommended by the same historian, Michael Gomez, who recommended the other mind numbingly dull book I read in March on West African History, Ancient Ghana and Mail by Nehemia Levtzion. it was stunning to find, in fact, the first resource cited in this book was Levtzion’s book: my authors are incredibly incestuous. while the book on Ghana and Mali was also a who’s who focused on Islam, at least it covered more territory: this book was that, but on a much smaller and more incestuous scale, where so much less happened. I think I hope every history book I read will be, in the end, an anthropology book, at least to some degree, as I think most of the best history books are. this is strike two for this historian, Gomez, recommending books on Ghana: I think it’s time to find other resources. I will, however, read Sundiata, but that’s because other sources have recommended it. and I’m starting to think there might be a reason some of these hard to find books are so hard to find: some of them just aren’t worth reading.