Unknown - West African/Sahelian devotional manuscript with satchel - 1875

A 45 page loose-leaf West African/Sahelian devotional manuscript in its original leather satchel (side panel stitching on one side is decayed), written on wire-laid paper, with later loose tan boards to provide stability and protection, C1875. The script is Sudani, a Maghribi-derived script used across Sahel and West Africa (Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Chad), not the naskh more typically of the Nile valley. It is written-in Classical Arabic rather than a local language, in brown ink with red and yellow vocalisations and verse markers. The text comprises salawat upon the Prophet Muhammad and supplications, with some rubricated panels throughout instructing the reader on the timing of the prayers. Un-sewn leaves as typical of the format; collation and completeness unknown.

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