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Between Borneo and Mindanao, an island sultanate faces foreign powers while holding its own history in family genealogies.
In The History of Sulu, Najeeb M. Saleeby explores one of Southeast Asia’s oldest Muslim states. He begins with the islands and their people, then follows accounts of traders, teachers, and the founding of the sultanate. According to the native genealogies, Sharif ul-Hashim, also called Abu Bakr, arrives through Malay lands and settles in Jolo.
Wars with Spain, British trade, and American rule bring competing ambitions into view. Saleeby sets native genealogies, known as tarsilas, beside Spanish and other records, making room for more than a colonial account. His own position matters too: he writes as a physician working for the American colonial government. This is a dated study from 1908, not a modern assessment.
What you’ll discover
- Islands at a crossroads Explore the chain of islands where Sulu’s trade, culture, and conflicts take shape.
- Genealogies beside colonial records See how Saleeby brings native accounts into conversation with Spanish and other sources.
- Traders, teachers, and faith Follow the tarsilas’ accounts of Islam’s arrival before the founding of the sultanate.
- The making of a sultanate Meet Sharif ul-Hashim through the genealogies that place him at the sultanate’s beginnings.
- War, trade, and alliances Trace Sulu’s struggles with Spain, dealings with Britain, and place under American rule.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love maritime history, Southeast Asia, Islamic history in the Philippines, and stories told from the records of both rivals.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An island sultanate resists an empire
- Pearls help pay for resistance
- Local memory needs other witnesses
- Different peoples become one nation
- Teaching and agreement build a sultanate
- Spain attacks faith and independence
- Mistrust destroys a chance for peace
- Steam power changes control at sea
- Read power from more than one side
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The History of Sulu
by Najeeb M. Saleeby · 1908
A sultanate of pearl divers and sailors resists Spain for three centuries from a chain of small islands.
Challenging5–10 hours to read20 languages
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In short
How does a chain of small islands, home to pearl divers and sailors, hold out against a European empire for three hundred years? That is the question behind The History of Sulu, written by Najeeb M. Saleeby and finished in Manila in January 1907.
The History of Sulu at a glance
- Reading time
- About 7 h 25 min5 h 55 min fast, 8 h 50 min slow
- Length
- 106,300 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1908by Najeeb M. Saleeby
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The Sulu chain links Mindanao to Borneo
The Sulu Archipelago is a string of small volcanic islands and coral reefs. It runs from the Zamboanga Peninsula to the tip of Borneo, and Saleeby believes it was the main road for early migration from Borneo to Mindanao.
Sulus are mainly farmers on the fertile islands. Samals live on low islands and make their living from the sea. On most big islands the chiefs are Sulu and the common people are Samal, a pattern that shapes the politics later in the book.
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Details
- First published
- 1908
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Saleeby, Najeeb M. The History of Sulu. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-history-of-sulu.
Saleeby, N. M. (2026). The history of Sulu. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-history-of-sulu (Original work published 1908)
Saleeby, Najeeb M. The History of Sulu. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-history-of-sulu.
@book{saleeby2026history,
author = {Saleeby, Najeeb M.},
title = {The History of Sulu},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-history-of-sulu},
note = {First published 1908}
}
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What is The History of Sulu about?
It tells the story of the Sulu sultanate in the southern Philippines, from its earliest peoples and the coming of Islam through three centuries of conflict with Spain to the Spanish departure in 1899.
What is the Genealogy of Sulu, or tarsila?
It is a handwritten record in Malay and Sulu of early chiefs’ descendants and the succession of the sultans. Saleeby obtained the original from the sultan's prime minister and uses it as his main source for early events.
What does the name Sulu mean?
Saleeby says the Sulus pronounce their name as Sug, meaning sea current. Tides run strongly through the narrow channels between the islands, and the people's seafaring life depends on them. Jolo is the Spanish form of the name.
The author
Najeeb M. Saleeby
1870–1935 · Lebanese-American physician and historian
Najeeb M. Saleeby was a Lebanese physician and historian who was born in 1870 and died in 1935. He lived and worked in the Philippines during the early twentieth century. He wrote Studies in Moro History, Law, and Religion, published in 1905, and The History of Sulu, published in 1908.
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