Nice! Reason I ask is because I wanted to know if it was possible that you can translate some of these manuscripts.
And it seems like the most important sources for African history is in French and not English.
Lets Talk African History:"Sahel" West African Civilizations
- Thread starter Bawon Samedi
- Start date
Nice! Reason I ask is because I wanted to know if it was possible that you can translate some of these manuscripts.
And it seems like the most important sources for African history is in French and not English.
I think most of them would be very hard to translate. Even for native arabic speakers it would be very difficult, we’re talking about texts that are for some as old as the medieval era. For the Sahara and Sahel history outside local sources indeed the most important sources may be in french since the entire area was colonised by them.
Next city will be Oualata or Walata (also Biru in 17th century chronicles) is a small oasis town in south east Mauritania that was important in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries as the southern terminus of a trans-Saharan trade route.
History
Oualata is believed to have been first settled by an agro-pastoral people akin to the Soninke who lived along the rocky promontories of the Tichitt-Oualata and Tagant cliffs of Mauritania. There, they built what are among the oldest stone settlements on the African continent.
The collapse of the empire of Ghana in 1224 led refugees from Awdaghast to found a new city in the small village of Birou. The new city was called Oualata and contained immigrants from several ethnic groups including Berbers, Islamized Soninke and Massufa nomads. The Berbers were the religious monks as well as merchants whilst the Soninke provided craftsmen and the Massufa nomads acted as caravan guides. The rise of the empire of Mali and the subsequent shift of political power to the south strengthened the position of Oualata as a regional centre and as a terminus for trans-Saharan caravans. The main partner for this desert trade was the city of Sijilmassa in southern Morocco from which goods would be traded further north to Fez and Tlemcen in Algeria.
History
Oualata is believed to have been first settled by an agro-pastoral people akin to the Soninke who lived along the rocky promontories of the Tichitt-Oualata and Tagant cliffs of Mauritania. There, they built what are among the oldest stone settlements on the African continent.
The collapse of the empire of Ghana in 1224 led refugees from Awdaghast to found a new city in the small village of Birou. The new city was called Oualata and contained immigrants from several ethnic groups including Berbers, Islamized Soninke and Massufa nomads. The Berbers were the religious monks as well as merchants whilst the Soninke provided craftsmen and the Massufa nomads acted as caravan guides. The rise of the empire of Mali and the subsequent shift of political power to the south strengthened the position of Oualata as a regional centre and as a terminus for trans-Saharan caravans. The main partner for this desert trade was the city of Sijilmassa in southern Morocco from which goods would be traded further north to Fez and Tlemcen in Algeria.
Walata’s great splendour can be dated to between the XI and XVII centuries. Ivory, salt, leather, steel, gold and all sorts of other commodities including camels were trade in Oualata
la cite de Oualata by c.hug, on Flickr
la cite de Oualata by c.hug, on Flickr
that’s where my ancestors come from brehs. nostalgia got me 
.
Anyway I hope you enjoyed the ride. little sidenote: since the 18th, 19th and early 20th century most Soninke, Fulani and other communities who use to live further north in Mauritania (culturally and ethnically)mixed with the nomadic arab-berbers, live in South Mauritania near the river Senegal, crossed the river to Senegal or moved to Mali mostly because of serious recurrent droughts in the past centuries, the Sahara advancing but also to spread Islam as far as Ivory Coast and Nigeria, to do commerce and also because of clashes with the arabised berber clans from the area. Because of droughts and government neglect of the area in the 20th century people moved to the big cities, France(plenty) and some even in the USA.
.Anyway I hope you enjoyed the ride. little sidenote: since the 18th, 19th and early 20th century most Soninke, Fulani and other communities who use to live further north in Mauritania (culturally and ethnically)mixed with the nomadic arab-berbers, live in South Mauritania near the river Senegal, crossed the river to Senegal or moved to Mali mostly because of serious recurrent droughts in the past centuries, the Sahara advancing but also to spread Islam as far as Ivory Coast and Nigeria, to do commerce and also because of clashes with the arabised berber clans from the area. Because of droughts and government neglect of the area in the 20th century people moved to the big cities, France(plenty) and some even in the USA.