Kashf al-Asrar - A History of Algeria.com

[Al-khiyal]

You can find more than one book entitled Kashf al-Asrar but the one I had in mind when giving this thread its title is the delightful work by Zayn ad-Din 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Umar al-Jawbari, a Damascus scholar from long, long ago, who produced the book for one Mas'ud, a then leader of the Turkmen Artuqid dynasty, who was based in Mosul.

Kashf al-Asrar - the unveiling of secrets - is all about the tricks, attempted deceits and sundry crimes of a variety of ancient rascals. Today we have websites devoted to scammers and fraudsters of all kinds, but back in the 1230s or 1240s, al-Jawbari had no reliable Internet connection so had to content himself with producing 30 chapters the old-fashioned way.

Alas, in these days of video clips and other assorted means of entertainment few people read al-Jawbari's book any more, but for students of human nature there is a lot of entertaining and educational material in there. Just as you can read today of 'fake drugs' being sold over the Internet, in al-Jawbari's day the world he knew was swarming with sellers of fake medicines, bogus horse doctors, misbehaving clerics, professional seducers, fraudulent alchemists, trainers of thieving animals and other similar characters. Throughout the thirty chapters of his book al-Jawbari outlines the various tricks and tactics of this bunch of crooks and it's their secrets that he 'unveils'.

So, when it came to choosing a title for a thread like this, having learned something of the assorted tricks and games that have been played here over the years, for me Kashf al-Asrar was perfect.

As I add to this thread I'll be uncovering secrets, explaining tricks, naming and shaming, and generally peeling away the layers of deception that have probably made the forum a sometimes puzzling place for some users at times. Some of the older members, many of whom still lurk anonymously, may be a little nervous about what's going to come out.

Relax. Try to look at it positively. It's going to be like Judgment Day without the inconvenience of having to die first.

I'll also be explaining some new tricks that you can all try, if and when you have time, that can actually make the site work better for Algeria and for Algerians.

And when this thread is complete I'll throw it open so if anyone wants to add a confession, a comment or a suggestion they'll be free to do so.

OK, on the next stage of this journey we'll be looking at the big questions - 'Who are we? Where are we coming from?' and 'Where are we going to?' with assorted diversions along the way.....