SONGHAI

The Songhai Empire sparked when Mali went into decline in the 1400’s. Songhai was a city under Mali that lived in the east. the city built up an army and extended their territory to the large bend in the Niger River which lies right near Gao. Modern Day countries that Songhai had control of were some of Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Guinea, Nigeria, Niger, and Mauritania. They were able to take control of all the important trade routes in the area which gave them easy access to trade with other empires. The slave trade was also important for the economic development of Songhai. African slaves were different from slaves as you think of it: slaves were generally learned people, and could be soldiers or congressmen. Songhai had two great leaders who were Muslim. The first was Sunni Ali who built a vast empire by military conquest. Sunni Ali’s rule began in 1464 and lasted 28 years. He had a riverboat fleet of war canoes and a mobile fighting force on horseback. In 1468 Sunni achieved his first major military triumph of the city Timbuktu. Timbuktu had been a very important part of Mali’s empire and was becoming a big part of the Songhai empire. Timbuktu became a thriving cultural and commercial center where Arab, Italian, and Jewish merchants all gathered for trade. Five years later Sunni Ali had another major military triumph taking over the city Djenne. Djenne was another trade city and had a university. To take over Djenne, Sunni seiged the city for 7 years before it fell. the war ended though, when Sunni married the queen. In 1492 Sunni Ali died and his son became the ruler. Muslims in Songhai revolted saying that Sunni Ali’s son did not practice Islam faithfully. The leader of the revolt was Askia Muhammad and drove Sunni Ali’s son from power. Askia Muhammad became the second of the two great Muslim leaders. Askia Muhammad was an excellent administrator. He set up an efficient tax system and able officials. The Songhai Empire was divided into five provinces each led by a governor. He also appointed officials to minister the treasury, army, navy, and agriculture. The Empire was thriving under his rule but even with all of the wealth and learning Songhai lacked modern weapons of the time. China had invented gunpowder in the ninth century. In 1304 the Arabs developed the first gun which shot arrows.
Almost all of Songhai’s wealth came from trading. Troops were stationed around big trading areas around the Empire so people would feel safe when they were trading. Songhai traded with all types of people including Europeans and other Empires such as Morocco across the Sahara desert. They traded gold, copper, Kola nuts, slaves for cowries, cloth, horses, and salt.The most common jobs were metalworkers, fishermen, and carpenters. Most of the buildings were small and did not take up much space. They were made of stone and included many Islamic and African features.
The begging of the end of Askia Muhammad’s rule happened when Songhai broke into civil war. In 1591 the Moroccan fighting force of several thousand men were equipped with gunpowder and cannons. They crossed the Sahara and invaded Songhai who was not prepared and was weakened from the civil war. Moroccan troops quickly defeated Songhai warriors who were only equipped with swords and spears. Collapse of the Songhai Empire ended a 1,000 year period in which powerful kingdoms and empires ruled the central region of West Africa.