Essouk (Arabic: السوق : "the market") is a commune and small village in the Kidal Region of Mali. The village lies 45 km northwest of Kidal in the Adrar des Ifoghas massif. The ruins of the medieval town of Tadmakka (Arabic: تادمكة) lie 2 km northeast of the present village. Between the 9th and the 15th centuries Tadmekka served as an important entrepôt for the trans-Saharan trade.
Trade routes of the Western Sahara c. 1000-1500. Essouk is shown as Tadmekka. Goldfields are indicated by light brown shading.
The commune is very large in area but sparsely populated. The 2009 census recorded only 2,383 people[1] in an area of approximately 25,000 km2.[2] The village of Essouk has only a small permanent population. The rainfall is too low for rain-fed agriculture and almost all the population in the area are nomadic pastoralists.[3]
Tadmakka lies some 500 km north-east of Timbuktu in the desert heartland of the Malian Tuareg, and 45 km from the nearest town, Kidal. Its ruins stretch over a kilometre within the Essouk valley.[4] The town prospered between the 9th and 15th centuries as an important entrepôt for caravans—a place where they could prepare for, or recover from, the hardest stretch of the Saharan journey. For caravans travelling south, the town served as the last stopping place before entering the Sudan.[5]
While Timbuktu was almost unknown before the 13th century, Tadmakka was first recorded in Arabic texts in the 10th century, linked to trade with Ghana and Gao, the first historically documented West African states. The earliest mention to Tadmakka is found in Ibn Hawqal's Kitab Surat al-ard ("The Picture of the Earth" ), written in three successive versions between 967 and 988.[4][6][7] However the first detailed account of the town was written by the Spanish-Arab historian and geographer al-Bakri in his Book of Routes and Realms which he completed in 1068:
...across the desert plain to Tādmakka, which of all the towns in the world is the one that resembles Mecca the most. Its name means "Mecca-like". It is a large town amidst the mountains and ravines and is better built than Ghāna or Kawkaw [Gao]. The inhabitants of Tādmakka are Muslim Berbers who veil themselves as Berbers of the desert do. They live on meat as well as on grain which the earth produces without being tilled. Sorghum and other grains are imported for them from the land of the Sūdān.[8]
The Andalusian geographer al-Zuhri, writing in the middle of the 12th century, reported that the Almoravids helped Ghana in a war against Tadmekka in 1083-4 and as a result Tadmekka became Muslim.[9] The historian Nehemia Levtzion pointed out that Tadmekka would have been a Muslim town well before this date and speculated that al-Zuhri may have been referring to the conversion of the population from the Ibadi form of Islam to the more orthodox Maliki school of Sunni Islam. Traders in Tadmekka would have had commercial links with North African towns such as Tahert and Ouargla where there were Ibadi communities.[10][11]
The medieval town was spread in a north-south direction between two chains of rocky hills that run parallel to each other on either side of a wadi. The main section of the town was on the east bank and extended for 1 km by 200 m. A central section covering an area of 200 m by 100 m was built on a small island while the third section extended for 500 m by 200 m on the west bank.[12] Associated with the town are number of cemeteries. In a cemetery lying to the southwest of the town, tombstones have been discovered that have Arabic epigraphs with 11th century dates.[13] Rock faces on either side of the valley contain petroglyphs as well as inscriptions written using either the kufic or tifinagh scripts. Some of the Arabic inscriptions include 11th century dates.[13]
Archaeological excavations were carried out between January and March in 2005 by a team led by Sam Nixon.[14] Of the three areas of the town investigated, the most complete stratigraphic sequence was obtained at a location opposite the island on the eastern side of the wadi. A 5 m × 5 m (16 ft × 16 ft) area was excavated to a depth of 6.5 m (21 ft) before undisturbed soil was reached. A series of 12 radiometric dates were obtained from carbon containing material. The four samples from the deepest levels produced a range of dates centred on middle of the 8th century while samples from the top levels gave 12th and 14th century dates.[15]
It is sometimes referred to as the "cradle of Tuareg civilization". The annual Saharan Nights festival showcases traditional Tuareg music as well as featuring various world music performers.
Oral tradition holds that Boctou, foundress of Timbuktu, was originally from Essouk. Essouk is also an important archaeological site, featuring rock carvings more than eight thousand years old.
World Heritage StatusEdit
The archaeological site was added to the UNESCOWorld Heritage Tentative List on September 8, 1999 in the Cultural category.[16]
NotesEdit
^ ab(PDF) (in French), République de Mali: Institut National de la Statistique, archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-22.
^This area is given in the Plan de Securite Alimentaire Commune Rural but appears to be too large. Kidal Cercle covers an area of 25,617 km2 but precise boundaries have not been established for the three communes within the cercle: Anefif, Essouk and the Urban commune of Kidal. See: (in French), République du Mali: Ministère de l'économie programme des nations unies et des finances, 2002, archived from the original on 2012-03-17, retrieved 2011-08-21.
^(PDF) (in French), Commissariat à la Sécurité Alimentaire, République du Mali, USAID-Mali, 2007, archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-19.
^*World Heritage Tentative List: Es-souk (in French), UNESCO – World Heritage Convention, 1999, retrieved 21 Jan 2011.
ReferencesEdit
El-Bekri (1913) [1859], Description de l'Afrique septentrionale (in French), Mac Guckin de Slane, trans. and ed., Algers: A. Jourdan.
Holl, Augustin (2006), West African Early Towns: Archaeology of Households in Urban Landscapes, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, ISBN9780915703616
Levtzion, Nehemia (1973), Ancient Ghana and Mali, London: Methuen, ISBN0-8419-0431-6. Reprinted by Holmes & Meier in 1980.
Levtzion, Nehemia; Hopkins, John F.P., eds. (2000) [1981], Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West Africa, New York: Marcus Weiner Press, ISBN1-55876-241-8.
Mauny, Raymond (1961), Tableau géographique de l'ouest africain au moyen age, d'après les sources écrites, la tradition et l'archéologie (in French), Dakar: Institut français d'Afrique Noire, pp. 487–488.
Moraes Farias, Paulo F. de (1990), "The oldest extant writing of West Africa: medieval epigraphs from Essuk, Saney, and Egef-n-Tawaqqast (Mali)", Journal des Africanistes, 60 (2): 65–113, doi:10.3406/jafr.1990.2452. Link is to a scan on the Persée database that omits some photographs of the epigraphs. Page 90 contains a map of the archaeological site.
Nixon, Sam (2009), "Excavating Essouk-Tadmakka (Mali): new archaeological investigations of early Islamic trans-Saharan trade", Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 44 (2): 217–244, doi:10.1080/00671990903047595, S2CID 163032463.
Further readingEdit
Moraes Farias, Paulo Fernando de (2010), "Local Landscapes and Constructions of World Space: Medieval Inscriptions, Cognitive Dissonance, and the Course of the Niger", Afriques. Débats, Méthodes et Terrains d'Histoire, 2 (2), doi:10.4000/afriques.896, retrieved 23 Aug 2011.
Nixon, Sam; Murray, M.A.; Fuller, D.Q. (2011), "Plant use at an early Islamic merchant town in the West African Sahel: the archaeobotany of Essouk-Tadmakka (Mali)", Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 20 (3): 223–239, doi:10.1007/s00334-010-0279-6, S2CID 140577853.
External linksEdit
Nixon, S., , University College London, Institute of Archaeology, archived from the original on 2011-10-15, retrieved 2008-10-08.
August 25, 2023
essouk, arabic, السوق, market, commune, small, village, kidal, region, mali, village, lies, northwest, kidal, adrar, ifoghas, massif, ruins, medieval, town, tadmakka, arabic, تادمكة, northeast, present, village, between, 15th, centuries, tadmekka, served, impo. Essouk Arabic السوق the market is a commune and small village in the Kidal Region of Mali The village lies 45 km northwest of Kidal in the Adrar des Ifoghas massif The ruins of the medieval town of Tadmakka Arabic تادمكة lie 2 km northeast of the present village Between the 9th and the 15th centuries Tadmekka served as an important entrepot for the trans Saharan trade Essouk السوقCommune and villageEssoukLocation within MaliCoordinates 18 45 N 1 10 5 E 18 750 N 1 1750 E 18 750 1 1750Country MaliRegionKidal RegionCercleKidal CerclePopulation 2009 1 Total2 383Time zoneUTC 0 GMT Trade routes of the Western Sahara c 1000 1500 Essouk is shown as Tadmekka Goldfields are indicated by light brown shading The commune is very large in area but sparsely populated The 2009 census recorded only 2 383 people 1 in an area of approximately 25 000 km2 2 The village of Essouk has only a small permanent population The rainfall is too low for rain fed agriculture and almost all the population in the area are nomadic pastoralists 3 Contents 1 History 2 World Heritage Status 3 Notes 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksHistory EditTadmakka lies some 500 km north east of Timbuktu in the desert heartland of the Malian Tuareg and 45 km from the nearest town Kidal Its ruins stretch over a kilometre within the Essouk valley 4 The town prospered between the 9th and 15th centuries as an important entrepot for caravans a place where they could prepare for or recover from the hardest stretch of the Saharan journey For caravans travelling south the town served as the last stopping place before entering the Sudan 5 While Timbuktu was almost unknown before the 13th century Tadmakka was first recorded in Arabic texts in the 10th century linked to trade with Ghana and Gao the first historically documented West African states The earliest mention to Tadmakka is found in Ibn Hawqal s Kitab Surat al ard The Picture of the Earth written in three successive versions between 967 and 988 4 6 7 However the first detailed account of the town was written by the Spanish Arab historian and geographer al Bakri in his Book of Routes and Realms which he completed in 1068 across the desert plain to Tadmakka which of all the towns in the world is the one that resembles Mecca the most Its name means Mecca like It is a large town amidst the mountains and ravines and is better built than Ghana or Kawkaw Gao The inhabitants of Tadmakka are Muslim Berbers who veil themselves as Berbers of the desert do They live on meat as well as on grain which the earth produces without being tilled Sorghum and other grains are imported for them from the land of the Sudan 8 The Andalusian geographer al Zuhri writing in the middle of the 12th century reported that the Almoravids helped Ghana in a war against Tadmekka in 1083 4 and as a result Tadmekka became Muslim 9 The historian Nehemia Levtzion pointed out that Tadmekka would have been a Muslim town well before this date and speculated that al Zuhri may have been referring to the conversion of the population from the Ibadi form of Islam to the more orthodox Maliki school of Sunni Islam Traders in Tadmekka would have had commercial links with North African towns such as Tahert and Ouargla where there were Ibadi communities 10 11 The medieval town was spread in a north south direction between two chains of rocky hills that run parallel to each other on either side of a wadi The main section of the town was on the east bank and extended for 1 km by 200 m A central section covering an area of 200 m by 100 m was built on a small island while the third section extended for 500 m by 200 m on the west bank 12 Associated with the town are number of cemeteries In a cemetery lying to the southwest of the town tombstones have been discovered that have Arabic epigraphs with 11th century dates 13 Rock faces on either side of the valley contain petroglyphs as well as inscriptions written using either the kufic or tifinagh scripts Some of the Arabic inscriptions include 11th century dates 13 Archaeological excavations were carried out between January and March in 2005 by a team led by Sam Nixon 14 Of the three areas of the town investigated the most complete stratigraphic sequence was obtained at a location opposite the island on the eastern side of the wadi A 5 m 5 m 16 ft 16 ft area was excavated to a depth of 6 5 m 21 ft before undisturbed soil was reached A series of 12 radiometric dates were obtained from carbon containing material The four samples from the deepest levels produced a range of dates centred on middle of the 8th century while samples from the top levels gave 12th and 14th century dates 15 It is sometimes referred to as the cradle of Tuareg civilization The annual Saharan Nights festival showcases traditional Tuareg music as well as featuring various world music performers Oral tradition holds that Boctou foundress of Timbuktu was originally from Essouk Essouk is also an important archaeological site featuring rock carvings more than eight thousand years old World Heritage Status EditThe archaeological site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on September 8 1999 in the Cultural category 16 Notes Edit a b Resultats Provisoires RGPH 2009 Region de Kidal PDF in French Republique de Mali Institut National de la Statistique archived from the original PDF on 2011 07 22 This area is given in the Plan de Securite Alimentaire Commune Rural but appears to be too large Kidal Cercle covers an area of 25 617 km2 but precise boundaries have not been established for the three communes within the cercle Anefif Essouk and the Urban commune of Kidal See Programme de renforcement des capacites nationales pour une gestion strategique du developpement PRECAGED Schema d amenagement et de developpement du Cercle de Kidal in French Republique du Mali Ministere de l economie programme des nations unies et des finances 2002 archived from the original on 2012 03 17 retrieved 2011 08 21 Plan de Securite Alimentaire Commune Rurale de Essouk 2007 2011 PDF in French Commissariat a la Securite Alimentaire Republique du Mali USAID Mali 2007 archived from the original PDF on 2012 05 19 a b Tadmakka World Archaeology 39 Levtzion 1973 p 146 Levtzion amp Hopkins 2000 p 44 Holl 2006 p 8 Levtzion amp Hopkins 2000 p 65 A translation into French is available online El Bekri 1913 p 339 Levtzion amp Hopkins 2000 pp 98 99 Levtzion 1973 pp 45 136 137 Levtzion amp Hopkins 2000 pp 94 389 note 25 Mauny 1961 pp 487 488 Page 488 has a plan of the ruins a b Moraes Farias 1990 pp 91 105 Nixon 2009 p 223 Nixon 2009 pp 231 236 World Heritage Tentative List Es souk in French UNESCO World Heritage Convention 1999 retrieved 21 Jan 2011 References EditEl Bekri 1913 1859 Description de l Afrique septentrionale in French Mac Guckin de Slane trans and ed Algers A Jourdan Holl Augustin 2006 West African Early Towns Archaeology of Households in Urban Landscapes Ann Arbor University of Michigan Press ISBN 9780915703616 Levtzion Nehemia 1973 Ancient Ghana and Mali London Methuen ISBN 0 8419 0431 6 Reprinted by Holmes amp Meier in 1980 Levtzion Nehemia Hopkins John F P eds 2000 1981 Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West Africa New York Marcus Weiner Press ISBN 1 55876 241 8 Mauny Raymond 1961 Tableau geographique de l ouest africain au moyen age d apres les sources ecrites la tradition et l archeologie in French Dakar Institut francais d Afrique Noire pp 487 488 Moraes Farias Paulo F de 1990 The oldest extant writing of West Africa medieval epigraphs from Essuk Saney and Egef n Tawaqqast Mali Journal des Africanistes 60 2 65 113 doi 10 3406 jafr 1990 2452 Link is to a scan on the Persee database that omits some photographs of the epigraphs Page 90 contains a map of the archaeological site Nixon Sam 2009 Excavating Essouk Tadmakka Mali new archaeological investigations of early Islamic trans Saharan trade Azania Archaeological Research in Africa 44 2 217 244 doi 10 1080 00671990903047595 S2CID 163032463 Further reading EditMoraes Farias Paulo Fernando de 2010 Local Landscapes and Constructions of World Space Medieval Inscriptions Cognitive Dissonance and the Course of the Niger Afriques Debats Methodes et Terrains d Histoire 2 2 doi 10 4000 afriques 896 retrieved 23 Aug 2011 Nixon Sam Murray M A Fuller D Q 2011 Plant use at an early Islamic merchant town in the West African Sahel the archaeobotany of Essouk Tadmakka Mali Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 20 3 223 239 doi 10 1007 s00334 010 0279 6 S2CID 140577853 External links EditNixon S Excavations at Essouk Tadmakka Republic of Mali new archaeological investigations of Early Islamic trans Saharan trade University College London Institute of Archaeology archived from the original on 2011 10 15 retrieved 2008 10 08 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Essouk amp oldid 1143070640, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
