Michel Tuchscherer, a French scholar with along and fruitful experience in Yemen, has recently published a majorcontribution to our understanding of 18th century Yemen. This is histranslation into French of Khulasat al-'asjad fi dawlat al-sharifMuhammad ibn Ahmad by 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan al-Bahkali, who stemsfrom a famous family of qadis in the province of Sulaymaniya. Tuchscherer provides a useful introduction and annotated translationto the text with a detailed index and several well reproducedphotographs and illustrations. Parts of the text, such as longpoetic citations, are sometimes excluded from the translation. Thiswork is the result of a thesis written at the University ofAix-en-Provence under the direction of AndréRaymond.
The author, al-Bahkali, was born in HijratDamad in 1148/1735-36 and died at Abu 'Arish in 1224/1809. The texttranslated here is based on two Arabic copies, one in Paris (112folios) and the other in the Western Library of the Great Mosque inSanaa (242 pages). As Tuchscherer notes, this work is part of thelong and rich tradition of history writing in Yemen. He (p. 40)writes: "Les historiens yéménites étaientsoucieux de la qualité littéraire de leurs oeuvres. Plusiers ouvrages sont entièrement versifiés. Souventl'auteur adoptait la prose rimée et illustrait les faits devers empruntés à divers poètes. La chronique de'Abd al-Rahman al-Bahkali porte presque exclusivement sur lerègne d'un homme, Chérif Muhammad b. Ahmad. Elleévoque essentiellement les événements survenusdans la province sulaym¡n£te durant cette période,mais l'auteur a cru nécessaire d'évoquer certains faitsayant eu lieu à La Mecque ou à Sanaa." The presentwork covers the years 1142/1729 through 1184/1770.
In his introduction the translator discussesYemen and the Sulaymani province, especially from the 16th to the18th centuries. It also contains a brief introduction to the historyof Yemen as it affected the area in Yemen's long history. This areawas on the periphery of political events between Yemen and the Hejaz. The area is about 200 km along the coast of the Red Sea and some50-70 km inland at the extreme southern end of Saudi Arabia andnorthern tip of the Yemeni Tih¡ma. As Tuchscherer notes (p. 4),"Les conditions physiques certes, mais aussi les donnéessociales, économiques et culturelles donnent à cetterégion une profonde unité. Celle-ci favorisal'emergence de dynasties locales d'émirs n'entretenant que desliens de vassalité assez ténus avec le pouvoir auYémen." The province is named for a local shar£f fromthe early 11th century named Dawud ibn Sulayman, who is the ancestorof a number of important families in the region. The Ottomansarrived in 1538, and much of the subsequent history was tied up withevents between the Zaydi imams and the sharifs of Mecca.
In addition to an excellent overview of thelocal history of the area, Tuchscherer also provides interestingcultural information, especially on the tribes and sayyids (pp.30-34). As he notes (p. 31) "C'est pourquoi il porte constamment sonarme sur lui, le poignard appelé janbiya auquel s'est jointeaujourd'hui la kalachnikov." The local population has always beenpredominantly rural and agricultural. The main towns of Jazan,Sabiya and Abu 'Arish never had more than 2000-3000 people. This wasalso an area where the Shafi'i school dominated throughout most ofits history.
It is difficult to evaluate the importanceof any given historical text. All documentation of history ispotentially of value, but local histories tend to be more of interestto specialized individuals. But the grand histories, of which thereare many on Yemen, tend to be duplicative, while local histories havea richness of detail and color that make for more interestingreading. In this history there are remarks on the newly introducedtobacco, political intrigue, biographical obituaries, commercialdisputes, wars and rumors of wars, and much more. It is well worthreading through the text even if you are not particularly enthralledby the 18th century. This is an informative volume well worth havingfor anyone interested in the recent history of Yemen. In order toobtain a copy, contact IFAO, POB 11562, Kasr El-Ayni, Cairo, Egypt(phone 20-2-354-8245).
ANECDOTE "A PROPOSD'AL-RUQAYHI
Revenons à l'évocation dulettré al-Ruqayhi &emdash; que le miséricorde de Dieusoit sur lui &emdash;. Combine de poèmes de valeur lui sontdus, comportant généralement de [nombreuses]figures de rhétorique (nukat al-badi'). On racontequ'à Sanaa, à proximité de la GrandeMosquée, se trouvait une maison ou une boutique et que l'imamal-Mutawakkil al-Qasim b. al-Husayn possédait près delà une maison. Ce lettré exerçait lemétier de teinturier. / Il teignait de noir lesvêtements. Les gardes avaient l'habitude, après laprière de l'après-midi, [de jouer du tambour]devant la porte de l'imam dans le [quartier] de Zumur. Lestambours, les flûtes, l'attroupement de gens du commun, lafoule, [tout cela] provoquait un grand vacarme, ce quiennuyait le lettré et ses assistants. C'est pourquoi &emdash;que Dieu lui accorde Sa miséricorde &emdash; il adressaà l'imam ces vers si harmonieux:
Ô maître, tu restes dans une position devant laquelle s'inclinent les étoilesPuisse Dieu t'accorder une autorité sans cesse plus grande
Accorde-moi un droit de voisinage dont on tire profit
Je me plains auprès de toi des calamités [que m'inflige] le temps, selon moi, il n'y a
qu'une calamité [dont je me plains].
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