The Ottoman State’s extensive interactions with various regions of Africa have left a rich legacy of written sources. These archives house a wealth of documents, including official correspondence, administrative records, and decrees (firmans) related to the Ottoman administration in Africa, especially in regions such as Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, and as far as South Africa.
This extensive archive includes detailed records on governance, military activities, trade and diplomatic relations with African territories under Ottoman influence, located in Istanbul.
For instance, Defter-i Hakani are registry records that offer detailed information on land ownership, agricultural production and taxation in Ottoman-administered African territories, particularly in North Africa. Similarly, Shari’a court records are legal documents that provide insights into the social, economic, and legal affairs of the Ottoman provinces in Africa.
Military reports and correspondence from Ottoman governors and military commanders detail military campaigns, fortifications and the political situation in African territories, particularly during the Ottoman conflicts with European powers in North Africa.
Additionally, maps and geographical works like Cihannüma by Katip Çelebi, a 17th-century geographical compendium, include descriptions and maps of African regions, reflecting the Ottoman geographical knowledge of the time. Apart from these, trade and economic records such as customs registers document the trade activities between the Ottoman Empire and
African regions, including records of goods, tariffs and trade routes. Waqf (Endowment) records also highlight the economic activities and social welfare systems established in African territories under Ottoman rule.
Ottoman travelogues and chronicles also play important roles as historical sources. One of them, Seyahatname by Evliya Çelebi, a 17th-century travelogue, provides valuable insights into the geography, culture and politics of the African regions visited by the renowned Ottoman traveller.
Likewise, Omer Lütfi’s travelogue of the Cape of Good Hope is a significant work that documents the experiences and observations of an Ottoman statesman and traveller in South Africa during the 19th century.
Arabic written sources like Rihla by Ibn Battuta, or Persian books like Kitab al-’Aja’ib al-Hind (The Book of the Wonders of India), are also crucial for African studies, especially considering the historical interactions between Asian and African civilisations. Sources in Turkish, Farsi, Arabic, but even Chinese and Sanskrit languages, remain largely inaccessible to southern Africa.
Some of these books and archival documents were donated by me to the national archives of Cape Town and are waiting for researchers to re-examine African historiography. Briefly, these sources, when studied alongside other Asian and African records, can seriously help decolonise African historiography by providing a more comprehensive understanding of the historical interactions between the Indian subcontinent and Africa.
Contrary to the sources mentioned above, a few academic journals in Africa still reflect colonial and imperialist historiographies that have distorted African histories. Addressing these biases involves reassessing historical events and figures from a non-Eurocentric perspective. Are we truly recognising the continent’s diversity by studying the histories of various ethnic groups in South Africa, or are we still imposing an apartheid mentality?
* Halim Gençoğlu is a historian with PhD from UCT and is a post-doctoral fellow at Wits University.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media
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