A PhD dissertation entitled “The Civilizational Impact of Oases in the Western Sudan Region from the 4th to the 10th Hijri Century”was defended in the Department of History at the College of Education for the Humanities, University of Kerbala. Researcher Jinan Mohammed Salman conducted the dissertation under the supervision of Prof. Hashem Nasser Hussein (PhD).
The study highlights the role of historical writing in analysing and unravelling the contextual and environmental circumstances surrounding the emergence of oases in the Saharan Maghreb and Egypt, as well as their cultural and civilizational impact on the Western Sudan region.
The dissertation examines the urban centres along the Saharan belt and the cultural and civilizational influences of the trans-Saharan caravan trade routes. It investigates the significance of water stations within these oases, which serve as vital economic and civilizational arteries connecting desert towns.
Furthermore, the study is divided into three chapters: the first chapter addresses the terminology and geographical framework of the oases in the Sahara, and introduces the most well-known oases in sub-Saharan Africa. The second chapter explores the political and intellectual influence of the oases on the Western Sudan region. Finally, the third chapter focuses on the economic and social impacts of these oases.
One of the key findings of the study is that the history of Saharan regions has long been neglected by historians, who have primarily concentrated on major urban centres such as Kairouan, Tlemcen, Marrakesh, and Fez. This neglect is largely attributed to the historical focus on “central” figures who typically resided in capitals, thus excluding peripheral areas from detailed documentation—unless they appeared in relation to military campaigns or tax collection efforts.
The examining committee consisted of:
• Prof. Abbas Jabir Sultan (PhD) Chairman
• Prof. Hamdiya Salih Delli (PhD) Member
• Prof. Kawthar Hassan Hindi (PhD) Member
• Prof. Salwa Hassan Aidan (PhD) Member
• Prof. Alawi Mazher Mez’al (PhD) Member
• Prof. Hashem Nasser Hussein (PhD) Member and Supervisor
