307:. The only project he is known to have been involved in was the audience chamber in the city of Mali, and his contribution to the project may have been more organizational than architectural. Other structures that have been attributed to him have been attributed to him largely on the assumption that he was Musa's chief architect, which is not supported by the sources. West African architecture primarily arose due to a combination of indigenous development and gradual influence from North Africa.
820:
256:
After traveling to Mali, al-Sahili settled in
Timbuktu. When the Alexandrian merchant Siraj al-Din traveled to Mali in 1334 to collect a debt owed by Mansa Musa, al-Sahili hosted him in his home. Siraj al-Din died while a guest of al-Sahili; foul play was initially suspected, but Siraj al-Din's son
252:
Al-Sahili directed the construction of an audience chamber in the capital of Mali, for which Musa paid him 12,000 mithqals (51 kg) of gold. Al-Sahili's contribution may have been largely managerial, and the payment may have included the construction budget. However, al-Sahili's calligraphic skills
131:
Many
European texts refer to al-Sahili as an architect and attribute major innovations in West African architecture to him. However, his contributions to West African architecture were minimal. His one known architectural project was the construction of an audience chamber for Mansa Musa, to which
249:. Al-Sahili traveled back to Mali with Mansa Musa, who enjoyed his conversation and gave him gifts. Musa may have found his eloquence and knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence appealing. Musa brought many scholars back to Mali with him, of which al-Sahili became the most famous.
257:
attested that his father died of natural causes. Al-Sahili may have encouraged positive relations between Mali and the
Marinid Sultanate, and at some point between 1331 and 1337, al-Sahili traveled to the Maghreb and exchanged gifts with the
253:
were well-regarded, and he may have had a personal hand in decorating the building. On some occasion, possibly as part of the payment for the audience chamber, Musa gave al-Sahili 4,000 mithqals in a single day.
202:
In
Granada, al-Sahili became a drafter of legal documents and did some work on legal problems. In this time, he became known as a poet and was described in laudatory terms by his contemporary
265:. While in the Maghreb, al-Sahili considered returning to Grenada, but circumstances forced him to return to Mali. He was attacked by bandits en route, but eventually returned to Timbuktu.
1134:
1180:
1175:
268:
Al-Sahili died on
October 15, 1346, in Timbuktu, and was buried there. Though he probably never married, he was survived by several children, who settled in
1185:
213:
and declared himself to be a prophet. For whatever reason, he left
Granada in disgrace. In approximately 1321, he departed al-Andalus and traveled to
1190:
644:
573:
170:, with the latter possibility specifically indicating he claimed descent from the two most powerful such tribes. He also was known by the
128:. He is the most renowned of the scholars from the wider Muslim world who emigrated to Mali in the aftermath of Mansa Musa's pilgrimage.
1040:
613:
284:
Many modern sources refer to al-Sahili as an architect and credit many architectural works of West Africa to him, including the
1170:
1165:
209:
A near-contemporary poet said that he once suffered from temporary madness while under the influence of a badly prepared
1108:
323:
Al-Sahili's date of birth is unknown, but he was already a well-known poet by the time of his departure from
Grenada in
297:
583:
Hunwick, J. O. (1990). "An
Andalusian in Mali: a contribution to the biography of Abū Ishāq al-Sāhilī, c. 1290–1346".
262:
1124:
637:
559:
Bloom, Jonathan M. (2008). "Paper in
Sudanic Africa". In Jeppie, Shamil; Diagne, Souleymane Bachir (eds.).
102:
74:
174:
al-Tuwayjin, which translates as "the small casserole", but no explanation has been found for this name.
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His full name was Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Sāḥilī al-Anṣārī al-Gharnāṭī. His
592:
568:. Cape Town: HSRC Press in association with CODESRIA : distributed in North America by IPG.
188:
142:
1050:
146:
al-Sahili was inherited from his maternal grandfather and indicates he lived on the coast. His
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528:"Al-Sahili: the historian's myth of architectural technology transfer from North Africa"
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his contributions may have been more organizational and artistic than architectural.
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However, there is very little support for a role for al-Sahili in the
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300:, which he regarded as having been based on Maghrebi architecture.
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1321, implying he could not have been born much later than 1290.
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remarked on seeing his grave when he visited
Timbuktu in 1353.
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626:
880:
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289:
468:
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354:
352:
350:
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604:
Levtzion, Nehemia; Hopkins, John F. P., eds. (2000) ,
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scholar who became a favored member of the court of
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199:and was the head of the perfume guild of Granada.
288:and a royal palace in Timbuktu and the mosque of
1135:Atlantic voyage of the predecessor of Mansa Musa
484:
457:
442:
418:
382:
606:Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West Africa
638:
8:
292:. The French colonial official and scholar
860:
818:
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280:Contribution to West African architecture
154:) indicates he claimed descent from the
508:
496:
472:
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370:
358:
340:
316:
195:. His father, Muhammad, was trained in
88:1290 – 15 October 1346), also known as
608:, New York, NY: Marcus Weiner Press,
406:
296:regarded al-Sahili as the creator of
16:Andalusian-Malian poet (c. 1290–1346)
7:
187:Abu Ishaq al-Sahili was born in the
1181:People from the Province of Granada
1176:14th-century people from al-Andalus
97:
69:
1186:14th-century Arabic-language poets
150:al-Anṣārī (alternatively given as
14:
1:
1191:Scholars of the Nasrid period
324:
85:
32:
1109:Sudano-Sahelian architecture
298:Sudano-Sahelian architecture
485:Levtzion & Hopkins 2000
458:Levtzion & Hopkins 2000
443:Levtzion & Hopkins 2000
419:Levtzion & Hopkins 2000
383:Levtzion & Hopkins 2000
108:
80:
1207:
1125:History of the Mali Empire
526:Aradeon, Suzan B. (1989).
816:
562:The meanings of Timbuktu
532:Journal des africanistes
241:in 1324, al-Sahili met
215:Mamluke Egypt and Syria
985:Society and government
544:10.3406/jafr.1989.2279
1171:Poets from al-Andalus
1166:People from Timbuktu
1140:Twelve Doors of Mali
972:Empire of Great Fulo
445:, pp. 299, 358.
305:architecture of Mali
1074:Trans-Saharan trade
806:Abu Ishaq al-Sahili
385:, pp. 334–335.
286:Djinguereber Mosque
233:Court of Mansa Musa
81:Abū Isḥāq al-Sāḥilī
62:Abu Ishaq al-Sahili
23:Abu Ishaq al-Sahili
189:Emirate of Granada
1148:
1147:
980:
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930:Associated states
814:
813:
575:978-0-7969-2204-5
373:, pp. 59–60.
294:Maurice Delafosse
106:
78:
70:أبو إسحاق الساحلي
59:
58:
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1103:Epic of Sundiata
1046:Battle of Kirina
1041:Military history
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191:during the late
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1051:Battle of Jenné
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1013:Kouroukan Fouga
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794:Other residents
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272:. The traveler
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126:Emperor of Mali
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49:15 October 1346
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957:Songhai Empire
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845:Manding region
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219:Jalayirid Iraq
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158:who sheltered
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1018:Keita dynasty
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840:Western Sudan
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538:(1): 99–131.
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499:, p. 65.
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237:While on the
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228:
224:
223:Rasulid Yemen
220:
216:
212:
207:
205:
204:Ibn al-Khatib
200:
198:
197:jurisprudence
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1118:Other topics
1101:
1094:
1055:
1022:
1005:
998:
991:
967:Jolof Empire
962:Ghana Empire
942:Sosso Empire
735:Mari Jata II
605:
588:
584:
561:
535:
531:
519:Bibliography
509:Aradeon 1989
504:
497:Hunwick 1990
492:
480:
473:Hunwick 1990
438:
431:Aradeon 1989
426:
414:
402:
395:Hunwick 1990
390:
378:
371:Hunwick 1990
366:
359:Hunwick 1990
319:
302:
283:
267:
263:Abu al-Hasan
255:
251:
236:
208:
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193:13th century
186:
147:
141:
139:
130:
98:ـالطُّوَيجِن
89:
61:
60:
1161:1346 deaths
1079:Shell money
864:Settlements
785:Mama Maghan
654:Mali Empire
274:Ibn Battuta
211:marking nut
156:Arab tribes
109:al-Ṭuwayjin
90:al-Tuwayjin
1155:Categories
952:Gao Empire
896:Niagassola
775:Mahmud III
407:Bloom 2008
335:References
243:Mansa Musa
183:Early life
122:Mansa Musa
112:), was an
1024:Nyamakala
891:Kouroussa
828:Geography
780:Mahmud IV
770:Mahmud II
755:Magha III
591:: 59–66.
552:0399-0346
311:Footnotes
229:in 1324.
178:Biography
172:sobriquet
116:poet and
103:romanized
75:romanized
1034:Military
916:Tadmekka
911:Timbuktu
760:Musa III
745:Magha II
725:Sulayman
710:Muhammad
695:Abu Bakr
597:40732660
585:Paideuma
160:Muhammad
114:Andalusi
53:Timbuktu
1088:Culture
1067:Economy
906:Siguiri
886:Kangaba
850:Bambouk
750:Sandaki
740:Musa II
720:Magha I
690:Khalifa
675:Sunjata
261:sultan
259:Marinid
152:al-Awsī
105::
77::
39:Granada
937:Takrur
921:Walata
876:Djenné
765:Uli II
715:Musa I
700:Sakura
668:Mansas
661:People
612:
595:
572:
550:
270:Walata
221:, and
166:, the
164:Medina
94:Arabic
66:Arabic
1007:Gbara
1000:Faama
993:Mansa
947:Kaabu
901:Niani
835:Sahel
730:Qanba
680:Uli I
593:JSTOR
566:(PDF)
168:Ansar
148:nisba
143:nisba
1096:Jeli
1057:Sofa
855:Méma
801:Qasa
685:Wati
610:ISBN
570:ISBN
548:ISSN
247:Mali
239:hajj
227:Hajj
136:Name
118:fiqh
46:Died
35:1290
29:Born
881:Gao
871:Dia
540:doi
290:Gao
162:in
1157::
705:Qu
589:36
587:.
546:.
536:59
534:.
530:.
465:^
450:^
343:^
325:c.
217:,
206:.
124:,
100:,
96::
86:c.
84:;
72:,
68::
33:c.
646:e
639:t
632:v
599:.
578:.
554:.
542::
511:.
92:(
64:(
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