Songhai Empire (ca. 1375-1591)
Largest and last of the three major pre-colonial empires.
Traditional African Music by MBarakat
Topography
- located in Western Africa
- Latitude: between 25 degrees north and 0 degrees (Equator)
- Longitude: between 15 degrees west and 7 degrees east
- Capital: Gao, located on the bend of the Niger River, thought to have settle at Gao as early as 500 C.E., didn't become capital until 11th century
- Other Major cultural and commercial centers: Timbuktu and Djenne
- Around eastern part of the empire's land there were many droughts and land problems
- Around the western area there were many water masses, lakes and rivers.
- Land forms inside area are lake Faguibine, lake debo, the red volta, the white volta, and the Sahel
- conquered Mema in 1465 and Timbuktu 3 years later
- Moroccan invasion force came from the North when the Emperor Askia Pauod died
Climate
- rough climate
- cool and dry from November to February
- hot and wet from May to October
- hard place to far crops
Economic Activity
- very strong trading kingdom
- economic trade existed throughout the Empire, due to standing army stationed in the provinces
- central to regional economy
- controlled much if the gold and salt trade across West Africa
- Merchants form partnerships
- state protects these merchants and the port cities on the Niger
- known for the production of practical crafts and religious artifacts
- the clans decide a person's occupation
- taxes imposed onto peripheral chiefdoms and provinces; to ensure the dominance of Songhai, and in return provinces are given almost complete authority
Political Boundaries
- Expanded in all directions, from the Atlantic (modern Senegal and Gambi) to what is now Northwest Nigeria and central Niger
- Sahara Desert is directly North of the Empire
- Sunni Ali Ber enlarged the empire, taking control of important Trans-Saharan trade routes and cites and provinces of Mali
Culture
- Was one of the largest Islamic Empires in history (15th-16th century)
- Ruled by royal family or Sonni
- Language: Dialects of Songhai; french
- Religion: Islamic combined with indigenous beliefs
- Many folklore
- the people observe the secular holidays of the countries which they lived in
- celebrated Islamic holidays
- has a rite of passage follow Islamic models, but some practices go back to the days before Islam was introduced into sub-Saharan Africa.
- Families tend to be large
- men and women live separate lives
- Clothing are traditional western clothing
- Timbuktu was the educational capital of the empire
Government
- based on clan system
- Sonni Ali established a system of government under the royal court
- Later expanded by Askia Muhammad
- the Emperor appointed governors and mayors to preside over local tributary states (Niger valley)
- local chiefs were granted authority over their respective domains as long as they did not undermine Songhai policy.
- each town represented by government officials (similar to today's central bureaucrats)