The primary English translation of the Tarikh al-Sudan Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sa'di's Ta'rikh Al-Sudan Down to 1613, and Other Contemporary Documents, translated and edited by John O. Hunwick Document Access and Availability Full Text (Web/PDF Alternative): You can read the full text of Hunwick's translation on Archive.org Introduction and Partial Translation: A digital archive from the Sankore' Institute provides an introduction and a translation by Abu Alfa Umar Muhammad Shareef bin Farid Scholarly Overview:
For a summary and context, a PDF overview of the seventeenth-century Timbuktu chronicles is available from Key Facts about the Work Written by , a chronicler from Timbuktu, around 1655.
It is the single most important primary source for the history of the Songhai Empire Terminology: The "Sudan" in the title refers to Bilad al-Sudan
("the land of the blacks"), which historically described the Niger Bend region of West Africa (modern-day Mali) rather than the modern Republic of Sudan. Historical Translations: tarikh al-sudan english translation pdf
Before Hunwick's 1999/2003 English version, the most significant translation was a French edition by Octave Victor Houdas published in 1900. Internet Archive or help finding additional scholarly critiques of Hunwick's translation? AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more
A very specific request!
The "Tarikh al-Sudan" (تاريخ السودان) is a historical manuscript written by Abd al-Rahman as-Sadi, a 17th-century Sudanese historian. The book is a valuable source of information on the history of the Sahel region, particularly the Songhai Empire and the Bilad as-Sudan (Land of the Blacks). The primary English translation of the Tarikh al-Sudan
As for an English translation in PDF format, I couldn't find a readily available and reliable source. However, I can suggest a few options:
Here's a sample piece from the introduction of "Tarikh al-Sudan" (based on the Pulate translation):
"The history of the Sudan, which we have undertaken to write, is a science which deals with the knowledge of the origins and the sequence of events which have occurred in the land of the Sudan, from the time of the first inhabitants until the present day... We have collected and noted down the events which occurred in the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, and we have given an account of their sultans, their capitals, and their important cities." Online archives and libraries : You can try
(Pulate translation, 1965, p. 3)
If you're interested in obtaining a PDF copy, I recommend trying the above options or reaching out to academic institutions or libraries that specialize in African studies or Islamic history. They may have access to a PDF copy or be able to provide you with more information on how to obtain one.
If you need a digital copy for research, here are the best legal avenues:
Because this was published before 1925, it is fully in the public domain. You can download the PDF instantly from Gallica (BnF) or the Internet Archive.