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Ann; Ishkandarnamah (12th to 14th century)
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Taken from: Minoo S. Southgate; Abridged trans; Iskandarnamah/ A Persian Medieval Alexander Romance (New York; Columbia univ. press) 1978
In Nizami's Sharafnamah (1191) the war against the Zanj occupies 39 pages; in the 12th cent. Darabnamah 162 pages and in the Iskandarnamah (12th-14th cent.) 176 pages.
As this is impossible to handle; I will only give an abridgment on a couple pages.


Alexander's arrival in the land of the Giants and Cannibal Zangis, and his Battle against them.
          At the end of the chapter Alexander has them all killed so that they can not give problems ever again.
Alexander's arrival at the Well, the story of the Maiden, and what occurred between Alexander and the Zangis.
          Alexander's men try to draw water from a well, but the rope breaks every time. A volunteer goes 
          down in the well where he finds a gigantic Zangi, his servant and a maiden. Alexander kills the Zangi
          and his servant and the maiden turns out to have been kidnapped by the Zangi.
Alexander's arrival at the Hermit's Cloister on the Mountaintop and what occurred.
         Here Alexander marries the maiden.
Alexander's arrival in the Fairyland followed by
Alexander's arrival in Russia.
           Where after massacring the Russians Alexander meets a Zebra as beautiful as 1000 idols; he tries to
           catch it alive; and keeps following it by horse. He finds a dead Zangi, bitten by a snake, the snake
           having curled itself now around a chest. Inside the chest he finds as the snake and zebra look on a   
           maiden like 1000 idols. She had been kidnapped by the Zangi as a present for his king.  Alexander
           marries the maiden the following night. Then Alexander goes to the king of the Zangis that should
           have received the maiden as a present. (The king of the zanj, Qatil (lit: killer) is given a breath so
           foul that the white maidens he violates suffocate to death.)
Alexander's arrival at the fortress of Qatil the Zangi, the seizure of the fort, and what happened between the king and the Zangis.
           In the fort there were 7000 cannibal Zangis; each ate a whole ox every day. And in chronicles and
           early writings it is stated that the Zangis were remnants of the tribes of Ad and Uj. They had huge
           bodies; their heads were as big as a lahd; their mouths were like the opening of a cave, and their
           teeth like the tusks of a boar. Alexander promises the messengers from the Zangi king that he will
           destroy them; after this the war starts with heavy losses on both sides.
How Qatil sent 2000 men to seek the Bride, and Alexander made a surprise attack on them.
         The Zangis go to the seashore but are all killed by Alexander's men. Qatil then asks help from his
           brother.
How Rafi the Zangi came to the aid of his brother and they fought Alexander.
            They are defeated and Rafi being made prisoner is executed by Alexander. Qatil asks now Rafi's
            son Anbar for help.
How Anbar received Qatil's letter, gathered an army and went to the aid of his uncle, and what happened between them and king  Alexander.
             Anbar puts together an army of 20,000 black Zangis; and Alexander hears an angel in a dream
             saying that the slaying of one Zangi is enough retribution for a year's sin. Finally Anbar arrives and
             joins the fort.

How Anbar descended from the fort with 2000 men and the battle between the Zangis and the king.
           The Zangis are defeated and Alexander has Anbar tortured to death. Qatil sent messengers to
              Zangbar asking Shahmalik to come to his aid.
How Buqraquz, Shahmalik's son, made a surprise attack on Alexander's army, and what occurred between him and the king.
              He is defeated and made prisoner. It becomes clear in the text that the people of Zangbar are not
              black people, they are called Turks.

Alexander's battle against Qatil and what occurred between them.
               They get beaten, put to flight, their fort taken , Qatil is captured and tortured and then executed. A
               son Iskandarus is born to Alexander by his wife Araqit.
How the king of the Zangis, Mankus, came to Shahmalik with the Zangis, the battle between Shahmalik and Alexander, and what occurred.
               The Zangis try to recapture the fort but are whipped out.
A couple more Kings of the Zangi sent armies but all with the same result.
The story contains no further information about East Africa.
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