Songhai empire

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principal kingdoms and peoples of western Africa, 11th–16th century

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Geography & Travel

Songhai empire

historical empire, Africa

Also known as: Gao empire, Songhay empire

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Apr 4, 2024 • Article History

Songhai empire

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Category: Geography & Travel

Also spelled:: Songhay

Date:: 1401 - 1600

Key People:: Muhammad I Askia; Sonni 'Ali; Ahmad Baba

Related Topics:: Songhai

Related Places:: Nigeria; Mali; Niger; Gao

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Songhai empire, great trading state of West Africa (flourished 15th–16th century), centred on the middle reaches of the Niger River in what is now central Mali and eventually extending west to the Atlantic coast and east into Niger and Nigeria. Though the Songhai people are said to have established themselves in the city of Gao about 800 ce, they did not regard it as their capital until the beginning of the 11th century during the reign of the dia (king) Kossoi, a Songhai convert to Islam. Gao so prospered and expanded during the next 300 years that from 1325 to ...(100 of 559 words)

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