In the year 1262 / 1846, a book was published in Ottoman Turkey, which according
to itself was the translation of a travel report of a Tunisian in southern Sudan written in
Arabic. The alleged Arabic original remains untraceable until today. European research
discovered discrepancies in content with regards to the supplied information, even doubting
the authenticity of the author. Among the verifiable information of that book is the strange
account of zaqoqo, a ghost rising from the body of a killed African, which is confined
to a bottle through special witchcraft, nurtured with milk and has to protect the house of
its buyer and owner. This short essay constitutes an introduction to this death ghost and
attempts an interpretation of its problematic name. In addition, this article is pre ceded
with some notes about the acceptance of black Africans in Ottoman society
