Sudanese Encyclopedia of Tribes and Genealogies
Encyclopedia
Sudanese Encyclopedia of Tribes and Genealogies ' onMouseout='HidePop("70482")' href="/topics/Arabic_transliteration">translitetered
: Mawsu'at al-qaba`il wa'l-ansab fi 'l-Sudan) by Awn Alsharif Qasim
, printed in Khartoum
by Maktabat Afiruqraf (Afro-Graph) in 1996.
This encyclopaedia consists of seven volumes that embrace 2628 pages. In his 12-page introduction, which is incorporated in the first volume, Qasim states his purpose and objectives of compiling such a work. He also mentions the scope or coverage, the criterion of inclusion, arrangement of the various entries and hints on how to use his encyclopaedia.
, and Qamus al-lahja al-'ammiya fi 'l-Sudan, 'A Dictionary of Sudanese Arabic'. Among those who appreciated the value of this indispensable source for Sudanese studies was R.S. O'Fahey, who followed its forms in writing Sudanese personal, tribal and place names.
Having revised and published these two works, Qasim's ambitions grew and he began to plan for a project with a wider scope. His encyclopaedia appeared after more than ten years of active research and preparation.
There has been no shortage of studies on tribes, genealogies and noteworthy persons and places names in the Sudan. Much research has been done during the past decades. The results, however, are scattered and often inaccessible. As Sharkey points out, Richard Leslie Hill felt this problem a long time ago when he said in the preface to his second edition of his Biographical dictionary of the Sudan,
"Little books are born in the Sudan by the dozen, without imprints without date, even without title page. They circulate for a brief season and die without trace."
Cross-references are used to lead the reader from names that are familiar to alternate names that may not be. Internal cross-references also appear frequently within entries, where they are identified by the Arabic letter mem
to denote 'see' or 'see also'.
Arabic transliteration
Different approaches and methods for the romanization of Arabic exist. They vary in the way that they address the inherent problems of rendering written and spoken Arabic in the Latin alphabet; they also use different symbols for Arabic phonemes that do not exist in English or other European...
: Mawsu'at al-qaba`il wa'l-ansab fi 'l-Sudan) by Awn Alsharif Qasim
Awn Alsharif Qasim
Awn Al-Sharif Qasim - * - was a prolific Sudanese writer, encyclopedist, a prominent scholar, a powerful community leader, a man of charity and one of Sudan's leading experts on Arabic language and literature....
, printed in Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
by Maktabat Afiruqraf (Afro-Graph) in 1996.
This encyclopaedia consists of seven volumes that embrace 2628 pages. In his 12-page introduction, which is incorporated in the first volume, Qasim states his purpose and objectives of compiling such a work. He also mentions the scope or coverage, the criterion of inclusion, arrangement of the various entries and hints on how to use his encyclopaedia.
Historical background
Qasim's encyclopaedia has its own history. It had its origins in the mid-1980s when he was collecting material for two of his other contributions, namely, Halfayat al-Muluk, which is a sort of regional biographical dictionary of the Halfaya region north of Khartoum NorthKhartoum North
Khartoum North is a city close to, but distinct from, Khartoum in central Sudan. The city is close to the confluence of the White and Blue Nile on the eastern bank of the Blue Nile. The city, which had in 1993 a rapidly growing population of 900,000, is connected by bridges to Khartoum and Omdurman...
, and Qamus al-lahja al-'ammiya fi 'l-Sudan, 'A Dictionary of Sudanese Arabic'. Among those who appreciated the value of this indispensable source for Sudanese studies was R.S. O'Fahey, who followed its forms in writing Sudanese personal, tribal and place names.
Having revised and published these two works, Qasim's ambitions grew and he began to plan for a project with a wider scope. His encyclopaedia appeared after more than ten years of active research and preparation.
There has been no shortage of studies on tribes, genealogies and noteworthy persons and places names in the Sudan. Much research has been done during the past decades. The results, however, are scattered and often inaccessible. As Sharkey points out, Richard Leslie Hill felt this problem a long time ago when he said in the preface to his second edition of his Biographical dictionary of the Sudan,
"Little books are born in the Sudan by the dozen, without imprints without date, even without title page. They circulate for a brief season and die without trace."
Scope and coverage of the encyclopaedia
Qasim states in his introduction that his original intention was to mimic his first encyclopaedia in including the major ethnic groups, important place names and noteworthy individuals deceased before the present day. The author, however, felt that bringing together such material and bringing them up to date would make his work more useful. Thus his encyclopaedia covers all of the Sudan and spans ancient and present timesArrangement of the encyclopaedia
The author does not follow a thematic or subject classification or arrangement for the entries of the six volumes. He prefers to arrange his entries in Arabic alphabetical order, irrespective of their subject matter. Thus entries on tribes, noteworthy persons and important place names are arranged together.Cross-references are used to lead the reader from names that are familiar to alternate names that may not be. Internal cross-references also appear frequently within entries, where they are identified by the Arabic letter mem
Mem
Mem is the thirteenth letter of many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic...
to denote 'see' or 'see also'.