Songhai Empire

Introduction
The Songhai Empire (SE) lasted over a century.  It was created by a tribe of diverse origin.  The empire lasted over a century and it was very Islamic.  Gao was the capital and Timbuktu and Djenne were the most important cities.  This empire had a robust economy.  SE had a nice government and followed Sharia law. The military was strong too.

Origin
The Songhai tribe came from 4 different tribes coming together.  The Sorko tribe lived in Gao and they were fishermen.  The Gow tribe lived near the Niger river.  The hunted crocodiles and hippos.  Do tribe were farmers.  There was a horse-riding tribe that conquered the rest.  All of these tribes became the Songhai tribe.

The Songhai Kingdom was ruled by the Za dynasty.  There at least 32 kings in this dynasty.  Legend has it that the first king of this dynasty was from Yemen.  The 15th king of this dynasty converted to Islam.  This kingdom was in Gao.  It was part of the trans-Saharan trade.  The kingdom became a part of the Mali Empire in the 13th century.

History
Sonni Ali: He created the SE.  Timbuktu and Djenne became a part of SE during his reign.  He created a navy to patrol the Niger river.  The empire he created was bigger than the Mali Empire.  He drowned in the Niger or was killed by his son.

Askia the Great: he expanded the empire.  He created a great bureaucracy based on traditional African government.  He promoted education and Islam, but he was tolerant of other religions.  He went on the hajj and gave a lot of $ to charity.  He brought back Islamic professors from Egypt and Morocco to Timbuktu. They taught at Sankore Mosque.  Askia also promoted astronomy.  There were observatories at Gao.  Askia was overthrown by his sons and the empire became chaotic.  Morocco invaded in 1591.  There were 2,500 European soldiers in the Moroccan army at the time of the conquest.  Queen Elizabeth I gave weapons to Morocco, which were used during the conquest of SE.  The Sultan asked for the weapons.

Cities of Importance
Gao: This was the capital of the Songhai Empire.  It started out as a small kingdom and became an empire. The Gao Empire was the strongest empire in West Africa in the 800's.  It became the center of the trans-Saharan trade.  It was a very urbanized city.  Astronomy was taught there.

Timbuktu: This was a great learning center in the Islamic World.  People were taught the Koran here and Islamic rituals.  A lot of academic subjects were taught here as well.

Djenne: People started living in Djenne in 250 BCE.  Many terra-cotta statues were made there.  Iron tools were manufactured in Djenne since the founding of it.  This city was trading with other parts of Africa and the Mediterranean b4 the arrival of the Arabs.

Economy
Songhai Empire had a great economy because it did a lot of trading.  It traded a lot of gold and salt.  Tools and religious items were created in this empire.  Different tribes and/or clans had different occupants.  Some were fishermen, some were doctors, some were lawyers, some were farmers, some were blacksmiths, etc. SE made so much $ from trading it became a target to greedy nations.  Salt was used as currency.

Government
The emperor chose the mayors and governors.  The ruled the villages and the states.  Each state had to pay taxes.  The various different states were allowed to govern themselves as long as they followed the orders of the king.

• "Local Governor of a province or a town
• Police Commissioner
• Head Judge
• Three levels of military personnel below the position of Captain in the territorial guards
• Administrators and military chiefs of the territorial guards
• Directors of ports
• Chief of the navy responsible for ships and smaller craft
• Chief tax collector
• Dignitary in charge of markets
• Dignitary with responsibility for making saddles
• Administrator in charge of the affairs concerning the Arabs and Berbers
• Suburban Administrator of a city
• Chief of etiquette and protocol
• Minister of property
• Superintendent of forests
• Chief of forests
• Superintendent of waterways who policed the rivers, lakes, and fisheries
• Minister in charge of affairs concerning the white minorities inhabiting the country
• Chief of the cavalry
• Inspector of agriculture"

Law
The laws of SE come from Sharia law.  Judges were called Qadis.  They made sure everyone followed Sharia.  The emperor selected the people that were the Qadis.  Qadis handled every case, expect treason. The emperor handled treason.  There were prisons for code breakers.

Military
Men from conquered states were drafted in the military at first.  Then a more organized military was created.

Balama: General of the army

Tara-Farma: Leader of the cavalry.

Hi-Key: Admiral of the navy.

Conclusion
Songhai Empire had a long history.  It had great Islamic Emperors.  There were 3 important cities, probably more.  It was rich because of trade.  It had a sweet government and laws.  Its military was powerful.  I give it an A.    

References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songhai_Empire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurtey_people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songhai_people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Za_Dynasty
http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsAfrica/AfricaNiger.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonni_Ali
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Askia_Mohammad_I
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gao
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gao_Empire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djenn%C3%A9
http://whgsummativeareeba.weebly.com/
http://www.ducksters.com/history/africa/songhai_empire.php
http://www.everydaylifeinanearlywestafricanempire.com/100factspage.html
http://www.afropedea.org/songhay-empire#TOC-Military
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/africa/songhai.htm
Songhai Empire
3 Sudanese Empires
Everyday Life in Songhai
Islam and Family in Songhai