Abdullah I Bikur

Abdullah I Bikur
Mai of the Kanem–Bornu Empire
Reign12th century (14–17 years)
c. 1177–1194[a]
PredecessorBiri I Uthman
SuccessorSelema II
Diedc. 1194
"Fafsa" or "Bebeji"
SpouseHuwa
IssueSelema II
DynastySayfawa dynasty
FatherBiri I Uthman[b]
MotherZainab

Abdullah I[c] (ʿAbdallāh bin ʿUthmān[5]), called Abdullah Bikur,[d] was mai (ruler) of the Kanem–Bornu Empire in the late 12th century, ruling approximately 1177–1194.[a]

Life

Abdullah was a son of mai Biri I Uthman.[2][b] His mother was named Zainab[2] and was of Toubou origin.[1] In his youth, Abdullah and his brother Bitku were given a hundred camels each by their grandmother Fasama. The camels given to Abdullah were called Bikoru, perhaps the source of his name, and those given to Bitku were called Bitku.[7]

Abdullah succeeded his father as mai in the mid-to-late 18th century.[5] He ruled for 14 to 17 years.[a] The site of his death is recorded as Fafsa[1] (or Fifisi[7]) or Bebeji "of many kurna trees".[4] He was succeeded as mai by his son Selema II.[2]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c King lists (girgams) and chronicles translated in the 19th–20th centuries assign Abdullah a reign of 14 years (Nachtigal), 15 years (Landeroin), or 17 years (Barth, Palmer, Urvoy).[2] Due to this and to differing dates and calculations for other mais, various dates have been given for his reign, including 1177–1193 (Barth), 1177–1194 (Palmer), 1193–1210 (Urvoy), 1175–1190 (Landeroin), and 1232–1246 (Nachtigal).[2] Cohen (1966) considered a reign of 17 years most likely.[2] Lange (1984) dated Abdullah's reign to 1166–1182[6] and Stewart (1989) dated it to 1176–1194.[3] Bosworth (2012) assigned a longer reign to Abdullah than other authors, dating his reign to 1174–1194 (20 years).[5]
  2. ^ a b Barth identified Abdullah's father as "Bikoru ben Biri" (Bikoru, son of Biri), indicating Abdullah to be Biri's grandson rather than son.[1] All others (Palmer, Urvoy, Landeroin, Nachtigal) designate Abdullah as Biri's son.[2]
  3. ^ Abdullah is also recorded as Dala.[3][4][2]
  4. ^ Bikur is also spelled Bikorom,[3] Bukr,[4] Beker,[2] and Bikoru.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c Barth, Heinrich (1857). Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa: Being a Journal of an Expedition Undertaken under the Auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the Years 1849–1855. Longmans. p. 636.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cohen, Ronald (1966). "The Bornu King Lists". Boston University Papers on Africa: Volume II: African History. Boston University Press. pp. 51, 56, 61, 80.
  3. ^ a b c Stewart, John (1989). African States and Rulers: An Encyclopedia of Native, Colonial and Independent States and Rulers Past and Present. McFarland & Company. p. 146.
  4. ^ a b c Palmer, H. R. (1912). "The Bornu Girgam". Journal of the Royal African Society. 12 (45): 74–75. ISSN 0368-4016. JSTOR 716085.
  5. ^ a b c Bosworth, Clifford Edmund (2012) [1996]. The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual. Edinburgh University Press. p. 126. ISBN 0-7486-2137-7.
  6. ^ Lange, Dierk (1984). "The kingdoms and peoples of Chad". In Niane, Djibril Tamsir (ed.). General history of Africa, IV: Africa from the twelfth to the sixteenth century. University of California. p. 261. ISBN 978-92-3-101710-0.
  7. ^ a b Palmer, H. R. (1926). History Of The First Twelve Years Of The Reign Of Mai Idris Alooma Of Bornu (1571–1583) (Fartua, Ahmed Ibn). p. 111.
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