MS344
MS344 This MS contains the text of the Chronicle on pp. 92-76 (the pagination running in reverse of Arabic writing right-to-Ieft). The copyist names himself 'Abd Allah bin 'Ali bin Muhammad al-Ma'awi. This appears to be a fourth copy, undated, of three earlier copies, all crediting Bwana Kitini as narrator. The first copy is ascribed to Salih bin Salim bin Ahmad bin 'Abd Allah Sharahil, dated 1318/1900. That copy was commissioned by the Nabahani liwali Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Sultan bin Fumo Bakr, etc. (see however, MS 321). A second copy, by Salih bin Salim bin Hamad (same person as above?), is dated 134311925 and a third, by 'Ali Muhammad, possibly the father of the fourth scribe, 1363/1944.1 At the top of p. 92 are inserted the date (tilrlkh al-hijra 6(0) and an elaborately contemporary title: Riwilyah yatawilrlkh za Pate nil ba'cuji sihrmi yil ~h shar~iyah. The text which follows is of the common "Hollis" pattern. Apparently the copyist could not decipher parts of the original: a lacuna is marked on p. 90, and omissions of text are evident on pp. 92, 85 and 80. By contrast, other parts seem to be repeated twice (sometimes jumbled), e.g. on pp. 85, 81, 80. The text is in Ki-Amu. In an intresting variation, the sound ch often becomes sh (shake for chake). The orthography of this copy is distinguished 1 This date or its translation by the scribe to the Christian calendar may be wrong: the text cites the Muslim month of Dhu 'l-Ka'da but then gives the date 3 February (as in MS 321). However, in 1363 A.H. Dhu '-Ka'da began on 18 October and ended on 17 November. See also note 61 to Translation below. 370 MS 344 by a consistent notation of nasal n with nan, a relatively unusual notation of the sound w after consonants, frequent use of ba' with p notation of three dots underneath,fa' with three dots above for v, and of dotted kiiJfor ch. Among irregularities are the substitution of sen for ~tid and of kaJ for ~f in Arabic loanwords. The diacritical marks are not always accurately placed or written, with the curved qamma (for u) occasionally being confused with the straight fatlJa (for a) or round sukan (for no vowel). The passive voice of verbs, rarely shown in Swahili-Arabic writing, is clearly voweled here. The name Pate is given an unusually varied rendition including one in which ta marbata t is pronounced (these are shown in the transcript in bold font). A modern innovation is the use of punctuation (colon, applied extremely irregularly to separate passages). The dynastic nisba of Pate rulers is voweled in the Arabic way Nabhan[ and the earlier dynasty of Pate is referred to in correct Arabic as (wa)al-Batawiyrn. Infrequently, the names A~mad and I;Iamad are used interchangeably. As regards contents, on p. 90, under the year 749 A.H., an important variation is found in the statement of trading interests of Sultan Muhammad bin 'Umar. While other MSS assert his initiative in trading with India (Hind, Hindi), MS 344 merely has him "traveling to make commerce" (henda kufanya bi'ashara). On p. 89 occurs the term watu wa-barani, "people of the mainland." The full name of Sultan Ahmad bin Abu Bakr (d. 1160/1747) differs from that given in MSS 177 and 321. Only a little bit further the passage about a Pate-Lamu conflict probably wrongly substitutes watu waLama for watu wa-Sru on at least one occasion (cf. introductory remarks to MS 177). ...
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