Songhai
The Songhai name refers to an ethnic group in West Africa as well as to a family of related languages spoken by Songhai communities in the Sahel. Historically, the Songhai Empire emerged after the decline of the Mali Empire and grew to become one of the largest polities in the region during the 15th and 16th centuries. Its heartland lay along the Niger River, with Gao as a principal city and Timbuktu and Djenné among the major urban centers. The empire controlled important trans-Saharan trade routes for gold, salt, textiles, and slaves, and became a notable center of Islamic scholarship and administration.
The empire’s rise is usually dated to the reign of Sonni Ali (c. 1464–1492), who expanded territory
Culturally, the Songhai were integrated through trade networks, Islamic learning, and urban administration. Timbuktu and Djenné
Today, Songhai people live in parts of Mali, Niger, Benin, and Nigeria, among other areas. They speak