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Songhai empire, great trading state of West Africa (flourished 15th–16th century), centered on the middle reaches of the Niger River in what is now central Mali and eventually extending west to the Atlantic coast and east into Niger and Nigeria. Learn more about the Songhai empire here.
- Sonni 'Ali
Sonni ʿAlī (died 1492) was a West African monarch who...
- Songhai Empire Summary
Songhai empire, or Songhay empire, Ancient Muslim state,...
- Hausa States
Hausa states, group of neighbouring African states,...
- Gao
Gao, founded by fishermen in the 7th century, is one of the...
- Sonni 'Ali
- Decline of The Mali Empire
- King Sunni Ali
- The Songhai & Trade
- Songhai Government
- King Mohammad I
- Islam & Animism
- Why Did The Songhai Empire Decline?
The Mali Empire, located along the savannah belt between the Sahara desert to the north and the forests of southern West Africa (often referred to as the Sudan region), had prospered through its control of local and international trade, especially in goldand salt, since the mid-13th century. However, the empire began to collapse in the 1460s follow...
The kingdom of Songhai dates back to at least the 9th century and was contemporary with the Ghana Empire(6-13th century) further to the east. It was dominated by and named after the Songhay (aka Sonhrai), a group of Nilo-Saharan-speaking peoples. Although conquered by the Mali Empire, the Songhai people would prove troublesome and powerful because ...
By 1469 the Songhai had control of the important trade 'port' of Timbuktu on the Niger River. In 1471 the Mossi territories south of the Niger River bend were attacked, and by 1473 the other major trade centre of the region, Djenne, also on the Niger, had been conquered. Unfortunately for Sunni Ali though, all this new territory did not give him ac...
The Songhai government was much more centralised in respect of the more federal arrangements of the earlier Ghana and Mali Empires. The ruler was an absolute monarch but despite having around 700 eunuchs at his court in Gao, the Songhai kings were never quite secure on their thrones. Of the nine rulers in the Songhai Empire's history, six were eith...
King Mohammad I (r. 1494-1528), a former Songhai army commander who had wrested the throne from Sunni Ali's son, Sonni Baro, began the use of the dynastic title Askiya or Askia(meaning 'ruler' or perhaps even 'usurper ruler'). The new king, forming a fully professional army for the first time, would oversee the greatest territorial extent of the So...
The Islamic religion, long-established in other empires in the Sudan region like Ghana and Mali, had a somewhat precarious existence in the Songhai Empire, at least initially. King Sunni Ali observed certain Islamic practices like the Ramadan fast for political expediency only (he also sacrificed animals to trees and supported pagan sorcerers) and ...
The Songhai Empire began to shrink around the edges, especially in the west, from the last quarter of the 16th century. This was largely due to a string of ineffectual leaders and civil wars for the right of succession which had blighted the empire ever since the death of King Mohammad in 1528. One particular rivalry, between Mohammad IV Bano (r. f...
- Mark Cartwright
The Songhai Empire was a state located in the western part of the Sahel during the 15th and 16th centuries. At its peak, it was one of the largest African empires in history. The state is known by its historiographical name, derived from its largest ethnic group and ruling elite, the Songhai people.
Dec 10, 2019 · The Songhai Empire was a massive, multicultural West African state that spanned between the 15th and 16th centuries CE. With an area primarily covering western Sahel, Songhai kings rose to prominence as the Mali Empire dwindled in the 15th century.
Nov 24, 2023 · Centered around the Niger River, the Songhai Empire eclipsed the Mali Empire, which had been the regional power before. Songhai rose to great wealth and power and, for almost two centuries, controlled West Africa politically and economically.
- Greg Beyer
The Songhai Empire, also known as the Songhay Empire, was a pre-colonial West African trading state centered on the middle reaches of the Niger River in what is now central Mali. The empire eventually extended west to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, and east into present-day Nigeria and Burkina Faso .
