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The Empires of the Western Sudan: Songhai Empire

Although the city of Gao had been occupied by a Songhai dynasty prior to being conquered by Mansa Musa's forces in 1325, it was not until much later that the Songhai empire emerged.

Related

Timelines (3)

• Western and Central Sudan, 1000–1400 A.D.
• Western and Central Sudan, 1400–1600 A.D.
• Western and Central Sudan, 1600–1800 A.D.

Primary Thematic Essays (5)

• The Empires of the Western Sudan
• The Empires of the Western Sudan: Ghana Empire
• The Empires of the Western Sudan: Mali Empire
• Inland Niger Delta
• Trade and the Spread of Islam in Africa

Other Thematic Essays (3)

• Ife Pre–Pavement and Pavement Era (800–1000 a.d.)
• The Trans–Saharan Gold Trade (7th–14th century)
• Ways of Recording African History

Maps (2)

• Africa, 1000–1400 a.d.
• World, 1000–1400 a.d.

Index Terms (7)

Art Movement/Style

• Bozo Peoples of Western Africa
• Tellem Peoples of Western Africa

Geography/Place

• Islamic World
• Western and Central Sudan

Subject Matter/Theme

• Islam
• Trade (1000–1400 A.D.)
• Trade (1400–1600 A.D.)

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It was from one of Mali's former conquests, the kingdom of Gao, that the last major empire of the western Sudan emerged. Although the city of Gao had been occupied by a Songhai dynasty prior to being conquered by Mansa Musa's forces in 1325, it was not until much later that the Songhai empire emerged. It began to rise in 1464 when Sonni ^cAli Ber came to power. Sonni ^cAli conquered much of the weakening Mali empire's territory as well as Timbuktu, famous for its Islamic universities and the pivotal trading city of Jenne. Following Sonni ^cAli's death, Muslim factions rebelled against his successor and installed Askia Muhammad (formerly Muhammad Ture) as the first ruler of the Askia dynasty (1492–1592). Under the Askias, the Songhai empire reached its zenith, Timbuktu and Jenne flourished as centers of Islamic learning, and Islam was actively promoted.

Department of Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation

Department of Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. "The Empires of the Western Sudan: Songhai Empire". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/sghi/hd_sghi.htm (October 2000)

Further Reading

Prussin, Labelle. Hatumere: Islamic Design in West Africa. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986.