Ibn Furtu

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Ahmad b. Furtu , or Ibn Furtu for short (sometimes also Ibn Fartuwa ) lived in the 16th century and was the grand imam and chronicler of the Bornu state west of Lake Chad . As such, he resided in the capital, Birni Gazargamo .

He wrote two chronicles in Arabic, 1576 K. ghazawat Bornu (Book of the Campaigns of Bornu) and 1578 K. ghazawat Kanem (Book of the Campaigns of Kanem). The first describes the military campaigns of Sultan Idris Alauma (1564–1596) according to the geographical arrangement: 1. Against the Sao-Gafata in the area of ​​Komadugu Yobe; 2. Against the city of Amsaka south of Lake Chad; 3. Against the city of Kano west of Bornu; 4. Against the Tuareg of the Air; 5. Against the Margi and against Mandara south of Lake Chad; 6. against the Ngizim west of Bornu and 7. against the Sao-Tatala on the edge of Lake Chad and against some Kotoko cities. With the exception of a few references to the war acts of Idris Alauma's five predecessors, Ibn Furtu restricts himself to depicting the military campaigns of his own sultan's first twelve years. The Kanem book, which depicts seven successive campaigns by his sultan to Kanem against the Bulala , is limited in time to four or five years. Notes on older events at the beginning and at the end of the book concern the destruction of the pre-Islamic national shrine Mune by Dunama Dibalemi (1203-1242), the expulsion of the Sefuwa from Kanem by the Bulala and the temporary reoccupation of Njimi , the old capital of Kanem by Idris Katakarmabe ( 1487-1509). Some classic poems and quotes from lexicographical books attest to the solid education of the author. His style is often ornate and stands out for its archaism.

bibliography

  • Dierk Lange: A Sudanic Chronicle: The Borno Expeditions of Idris Alauma (1564–1576) , Stuttgart 1987.
  • Herbert R. Palmer: The Kanem wars . In: Sudanese Memoirs . Volume I, pp. 15-81.

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personal data
SURNAME Ibn Furtu
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Furtu, Ahmad b .; Ibn Fartuwa
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Grand imam and chronicler of the Bornu state
DATE OF BIRTH 16th Century
DATE OF DEATH 16th century or 17th century