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 and secured riverine routes. After his death, Askia Mohammad I established a centralized bureaucracy and promoted Islam, guiding the state through a peak of wealth and learning. Subsequent rulers maintained the empire’s power for several decades, but it weakened under internal strife and external pressures. In 1591, Moroccan forces equipped with firearms defeated Songhai troops, ending the political unity of the empire. The region then fragmented into smaller kingdoms and local rulers, though Songhai communities persisted and continued to influence regional culture.

Culturally, the Songhai were integrated through trade networks, Islamic learning, and urban administration. Timbuktu and Djenné remained renowned centers of scholarship, manuscript culture, and religious life, while urban and caravan trade connected long-distance networks across the Sahel. Music, crafts, and architecture reflected a synthesis of Sahelian and Islamic influences that persisted beyond the empire’s decline.

Today, Songhai people live in parts of Mali, Niger, Benin, and Nigeria, among other areas. They speak Songhai languages, including Zarma (Djerma) and Songhai proper, used in daily life, education, and cultural expression. The language group remains a central element of Songhai identity and heritage.