le The role of Manuscripts in documenting the history of Algeria during the Ottoman period 1519-1830

Abstract

This study examines the role of Algerian manuscripts produced during the Ottoman period (16th century – mid-19th century) in constructing and transmitting local history. Its main objective is to highlight the richness of this written heritage, to identify its contributions and limitations, and to define the qualifications and skills required by researchers to use it in a scientific manner. The central problem lies in a double question: how can these manuscripts, despite their rarity and dispersal, reflect the political, social, and cultural realities of Ottoman Algeria? And to what extent do they represent an indispensable source that compensates for the silences or biases of foreign archival documents?

The methodology combines descriptive and analytical approaches. The descriptive dimension allows for the inventory and characterization of manuscripts in terms of form and content, while the analytical-comparative dimension focuses on style, terminology, and mode of production, as well as the contexts of writing, the sources used (poetry, Qur’anic verses, hadiths, official documents, travel accounts), and the degrees of subjectivity and objectivity of the authors. The corpus includes manuscripts preserved in the National Library of Algeria, zawiya libraries, and private collections, as well as international repositories such as the Süleymaniye Library (Istanbul), the Khizana al-Hassania (Rabat), and the Abdaliya Library (Tunis). It also considers the contributions of French Orientalists who translated and published some texts after 1830.

The results of the research reveal that Algerian manuscripts provide a rich testimony to the historical dynamics of the period. They document major military events (the fall of Granada, Spanish campaigns, the liberation of Oran), political developments (relations with the Ottoman Caliphate, local revolts), as well as social and cultural life (Andalusian migration, Sufi practices, marriage customs, epidemic phenomena). Their literary style, often imbued with rhetorical and religious language, reflects the Andalusian tradition and reveals a marked subjectivity, oscillating between support for and criticism of authority. Nevertheless, this subjectivity does not diminish their documentary value; rather, it mirrors the identity, sensibilities, and collective representations of Algerian society under Ottoman rule.

In conclusion, these manuscripts remain an essential resource for historians: they complement official archives, restore local voices often absent from foreign accounts, and open new perspectives on Algerian culture, thought, and memory. However, their scientific exploitation requires continuous efforts of collection, verification, and contextualization to ensure their preservation and their role in the writing of national history.

Keywords: Manuscripts, Algeria, Ottoman period, historical Writing.