Illustrative of African empires 1450 1750 Songhai Empire

Illustrative of African empires 1450 -1750 Songhai Empire 1464 -1591

History �Seceded from the Mali Empire (in 1375) �Under Sunni Ali Songhai became the largest of the western Sudan empires �Successor Askia spread the empire west into Mali & north into Sahara and encompassed the trading cities of Hausaland �Askia centralized administration, created a tax system & regulated trade

Influence of Islam �Islam was present through trade, but weak outside of urban areas where traditional “small traditions” prevailed � 95% of population was peasants who spoke many languages, practiced indigenous religions, and stayed loyal to local chiefs �Askia made pilgrimage to Mecca and returned with Muslim scholars from Morocco and Egypt to teach in the Sankore Mosque in Timbuktu

Songhai Photos TOMB OF ASKIA SANKORE MOSQUE

Timbuktu � Today in the country of Mali � Primarily made of mud � Had 3 great mosques � Was the intellectual and spiritual capital for spreading Islam in Africa in the 15 th and 16 th centuries � Located at an intersection of the Trans-Saharan trade route � A natural meeting point for North African Arabs and nomadic Berbers � Longlasting reputation for scholarship, having one of the first universities in the world � Contains many ancient Greek texts, ended up being a trade post that involved Europe � Visited by Ibn Battutta ~1350