In this text, "Sudan" refers to Bilād as-Sūdān ("Land of the Blacks"), which historically described the broad geographical belt of West Africa (specifically the Niger River region) rather than the modern nation-state of Sudan. Tarikh as-Sudan - siiasi.org
For a long time, Western scholars relied on the 1900 French translation by Félix Dubois and Octave Houdas. While groundbreaking for its time, the French version lacked modern critical annotations and was inaccessible to English-speaking audiences.
While widely available in university libraries and for purchase via academic publishers, a free public-domain PDF of this translation is generally not available due to copyright. IHRC Bookshop Other Translations and Digital Resources French Translation (1900): The original translation, Tarikh es-Soudan
Brill holds the original publication rights. Many institutional libraries offer full-text PDF downloads of chapters or the entire volume through Brill’s digital platform. tarikh al-sudan english translation pdf
Offers a free and various translated chapters on their website. List of the Princes of Songhai (Excerpts)
by O. Houdas, is in the public domain and available on platforms like Archive.org
Because Hunwick’s translation remains a copyrighted academic work owned by Brill, finding a legitimate, completely free PDF download can be legally challenging. However, you can access the text through several legal digital avenues: In this text, "Sudan" refers to Bilād as-Sūdān
(History of the Sudan) can be difficult due to copyright, but several reputable sources offer translated excerpts or the full scholarly text for purchase and research. Major English Translations
It tracks the Songhai Empire from its 15th-century peak under Sunni Ali and Askia Muhammad through the devastating Moroccan invasion of 1591.
The original publisher’s platform where institutions buy digital access. 2. Open-Access Historical Archives While widely available in university libraries and for
Hunwick spent decades studying West African Arabic manuscripts. His translation captures the nuances of al-Sa'di’s specific West African Arabic dialect.
View a preview or purchase on Brill or retailers like Amazon Tarikh 's-Sudan by Shaykh Muhammad Shareef (1990) A translation produced by the Sankore' Institute
For centuries, the Tarikh al-Sudan was primarily accessible only to scholars fluent in classical Arabic. In 1898–1900, French scholar Édouard Houdas published a definitive Arabic edition alongside a French translation, which remained the standard academic reference for decades.