SONGHAI EMPIRE: EARLY HISTORY OF THE SONGHAI EMPIRE

CONTENT

1. The Origin of the Songhai Empire
2. The Location of the Songhai Empire on the Map of West Africa

The Origin of the Songhai Empire

The fall of Mali Empire contributed to the emergence of the Songhai Empire. The Empire started out as a fishing and trading entre on the Niger River in a place called Gao where West African and Muslim traders visited often. Gao which was formerly a major city in Mali became the capital city of the Songhai empire. From its capital at Gao, the empire expanded towards the coast. It became strong enough to collect tributes from Masina. Just like Ghana and Mali, the Songhai people were influenced by Islam, and many people got converted. The empire lasted from 1464 to 1591.

Sunni Ali who was the first king because he founded the empire was once a prisoner of the Mali Empire. By 1464, he escaped from prison and took over Gao from where he established the Songhai Empire and began a war of conquest of surrounding regions. He conquered the great commercial cities of Timbuktu and Djenne.