The Abolition of Slavery in Ottoman Tunisia

Glossary

Glossary 'abid (sing. 'abd)—Generally refers to slaves, specifically denoting black slaves in North Africa ahl al-filaha—Agricultural estate proprietors ahl al-urban—Nomads ahl al-Djerba—Inhabitants of Jerba, largely populated by the Ibadi sect al-'adl (pl. 'udul)—Justice or equity al-Majlis al-Shar'i—Council for Judicial Ordinance or Consultative Council al-Sudan—The black race amin al-suq—Foreman of a trade guild in the market 'askeri—Soldier 'atqah or 'atqat—Manumission document signed by a qadi, or public notary, in the presence of two formal witnesses Bash 'Agha—Husaynid-appointed chief of black slaves and ex-slaves; also a designated chief eunuch in the bey’s court bashiyya—A faction loyal to Ali Bey I (d. 1756), the second Husaynid ruler, reigning 1735–1756 Bash Katib—Chief scribe Bash Mufti—Grand mufti; also, privy counsel in the bey’s court bawwaba—Doormen; term used by the Husaynids to denote the black slave soldiers imported by Ali Bey I from the bilad al-Sudan bey—Ottoman administrative title commonly used by Tunisians and Europeans to designate a Husaynid ruler beylik—The Regency of Tunis bilad al-Sudan—The land of the blacks dallal—Public overseer of the slave market 160 · Glossary dar—Household or abode dar Bambara—A house where slaves with ethnic affiliation to Bambara resided dar Songhay—A house where slaves with ethnic affiliation to Songhay resided dey—Ottoman military administrative title commonly used by Tunisians and Europeans to designate a Muradit ruler; term used during the Husaynid period to refer to full-fledged Turkish rulers in Algiers divan—Council or cabinet fallahin—Peasants fatwa—Formal legal opinion or decision of a mufti on a matter of Islamic law galadima—Hausa term meaning deputy to Bash 'Agha and foreman of the enslaved black population of Tunis grana—European Jews in Tunis during the seventeenth–nineteenth centuries (a corruption of the term “Gornim”) hadiyya—Gift or annual customary presents hujjah—A legal proof hurriyat—Liberty or freedom Hussayniyya—Faction loyal to the founder of the Husaynid dynasty, Husayn b. Ali (reigned 1705–1735) 'istifta'—Petition to a mufti requesting a fatwa 'itq al-jabri—Compulsory emancipation jallaba—Middlemen in slave raid khammasah—Sharecroppers ma'atiq—Freed slaves mahalla—Periodic military expeditions that toured the remote parts of Tunisia every year to confirm the bey’s control of the countryside mahbub—Gold coin used in Turkey and Venice in the eighteenth century madhhab—A school of law in Islamic jurisprudence mahram—Legal guardian mahsul—Harvest majba—Poll tax levied on ethnic groups in the countryside marabout—Holy man or Sufi teacher, from the Arabic word Murabit maslaha—Public good; welfare of the community Glossary · 161 mufti—Jurist on Islamic law authorized by the state to issue fatwas or legal interpretations mulk al-Adami—Human ownership nazilat al-'abid—The slavery question nizam jadid—Modern Muslim army modeled on European military structure , especially in the Ottoman Empire qadi—Muslim judge who administers Sharia law qaid—Provincial governor qaid al-'abid—Administrative officer in charge of black slaves and ex-slaves ra'is al-fatwa—Chief jurisconsult, a position held solely by the Hanafi grand mufti in the Sharia Council as well as in the divan ra'iya (pl. ra'aya)—Subject or citizen raqiq al-Sudan—Newly enslaved blacks sahil—Coast; a term used to delimit the fertile western Mediterranean coast between Sousse and Sfax sahib al-taba'—Keeper of the seal, the post of prime minister under the Husaynids sha'amba or beni sha'ban—Southern Tunisian nomad traders shahada—Profession of faith, the first tenet of the five pillars of faith in Islam shashiyya—A red cap, called a fez in the Maghreb and a tarbush in Egypt shawashin (pl. of shushan)—Term used in Tunisia and Libya for the ancient generation of freed black slaves; synonymous to haratin (sing. hartani) elsewhere in North Africa shawush—Usually a doorkeeper in the beylik administrative apparatus; also refers to a junior officer under the rank of a qaid shaykh al-Islam—Honorary title reserved for the Hanafi grand muftis simsar—Auctioneer Suq al-Birka—Tunis slave market tanzimat—Series of reforms promulgated by the Ottoman Empire tarbiyat al-'amat—A public lesson teskeres or tedhkeras—Transferable export permits issued by the bey of Tunis to foreign merchants 162 · Glossary 'udul (pl. of 'adil)—Notaries; learned Muslims accepted as witnesses in legal matters 'ulama...