Songhai Songhai emerges as a powerful kingdom in the 11th century. Songhai’s rise stems from Mali’s decline. Beginning in the mid-15th century Mali is under pressure from the Islamic Tuareg people to their North, small coastal kingdoms armed by the Portuguese, and the rising of Songhai, a former Malian province. In 1433, the Taureg’s captured several Mali cities, including the venerated Timbuktu and other large capital cities such as Gao. Meanwhile, coastal kingdoms were breaking ranks and trading with the Portuguese without paying over taxes to the central government. The breakdown of order depressed the gold trade. Finally, Sonni Ali successfully led neighboring Songhai’s forces against the Taureg and reasserted authority over several areas that had aligned themselves with the Portuguese. Despite the fact that since 1019 Songhai’s Askia was Muslim, Songhai leaders such as Sonny Ali, who came to the throne in 1464, identified with indigenous religions and were hated by devout Muslims, probably due to conflict over control over the river Niger. Askia Muhammad (or Askia the Great), on the other hand a devout Muslim whose reign lasted from 1493-1528, pushed the empire’s borders to the Atlantic, east towards the Sudan, and northwest into the Sahara, a region clearly larger and more populated than Western Europe. During his reign, African scholars stopped traveling to Fez and Cairo to universities at Djami al-Karawiyyin and al-Ashar, and began attending Songhai universities at Timbuktu, Djenne and Gao to learn theology, grammar, rhetoric, logic, astrology, astronomy, history, geography, medicine, science and math. These universities granted different levels of academic degrees. Askia the Great is also renowned for increasing the sophistication of Songhai government. He is credited with “codifiying the legal system, centralizing his bureaucracy, establishing a more effective banking and credit system, and providing education from kindergarten through the University of Sankore in Timbuktu.” Askia Muhammad established a court of appeals separate from and greater in power than the Askia, the Islamic-styled Kadi. The Songhai empire flourished until the late 16th century, when Morocco long a rival of Songhai finally gained a military advantage through the use of muskets. War with Morocco lasted until 1618, when Morocco was eventually repelled. But the victory was hollow and the glory days were over. The empire had become weak through prolonged external warfare and as the Portuguese pinched its coastal trade and supported internal warfare with ammunition and weaponry. “From that moment everything changed. Danger took the place of security, poverty of wealth. Peace gave way to distress, disasters, and violence.” The Dendi people, formerly inhabitants of one of Songhay’s main provinces, take over much of a beleaguered Songhai from the south. Ultimately, the French take Timbuktu in 1894, Gao in 1898 and the salt-mines of Tuareg in 1900.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 19:00:10 +0000
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