This paper explores the intertwined histories of a West African Arabic chronicle, the Tārīkh al-fattāsh and its role in establishing the legitimation of the 9th-century Caliphate of Ḥamdallāhi, located in today’s Republic of Mali. Previously understood to be a 16th- or 17th-century work, Professor Nobili will prove that the Tārīkh al-fattāsh was in fact written in the 19th century. In doing so, this paper will raise crucial issues concerning religion and politics in pre-colonial West Africa, as well as the use of literacy as a tool of state power.
