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MANUSCRIPT D 5 (a, b, c and d)

Introduction

The following is a series of four translations. The Arabic text was sent by the native headmaster of Manakil school to an Inspector in the Education Department in 19 13 as being of some interest. They are referred to as («), {b), (c) and {d) respectively. The first {a) is evidently not copied from any original manuscript but is merely an

oral tradition. It is headed simply "This is the history of the 'Ab-

dullah. " The second {h) is a short note of eight lines about the Ara- KIIN, based, one would say, on some casual verbal information,

and by no means accurate, but headed "This is copied from the 7iisba of the Arakiyyun in possession of the Khalifa of the Ara-

KiYYtJN, Sheikh Abdulla."

The third (c) is headed "This was copied from the nisba in possession of el Ostadh el Sheikh Ali Muhammad, Imam of the mosque of el Manakil and educated there. He took it from the

History of Dongola word for word (la^o^-ci^ iJLiJi f^j^ 0-* ^w^*-')-"

To the end of para, xxvii may be, and probably is, an extract copied from a manuscript. The remainder is probably from oral tradition: it agrees in some points and differs in others from the account given by Nicholls {The Shaikiya), but from the latter it is obvious that there is no really authoritative version.

The fourth id) is headed "This is copied from the tiisba of the RiKABiA in possession of el feki el Bashir ibn el feki Muhammad." It is merely a variant of the accounts given in BA and D i .

D 5 («)

The 'Abdulldb

I Among the most famous and bravest of the tribes of the Sudan

is the 'Abdullah.

II This tribe used to rule from Hagar el 'Asal to the old kingdom of Kerri. They were viziers of the Fung.