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Kanem-Bornu Empire
In the 1330s, the Kanem-Bornu empire under the Sayfawa dynasty continued controlling the Lake Chad basin and surrounding steppes, sustaining trans-Sa…
Timeline
- 1331–1335Njimi · ChadSayfawa dynasty mai ruled around Njimi; the empire inherited the expansion achievements of Dunama Dabbalemi's era, maintaining suzerainty over the farmers, herders, and caravans around Lake Chad.
- 1333–1338Kano trade route · NigeriaThe empire controlled north-south trade routes through its Islamized court and the kawala (kayigis) cavalry system; slaves, cattle, salt, and cloth circulated between Lake Chad, Fezzan, and Kano.
- 1336–1340Bornu region · NigeriaThe empire collected tribute from the Bornu plateau and surrounding tribes; Islamic scholars at court coexisted with indigenous priestly traditions, laying the foundation for the later move of the capital to Bornu and the renaming as the Bornu empire.
Sources
- Levtzion, Nehemia & Hopkins, J.F.P. Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West African History — Nehemia Levtzion (2000)
- Lange, Dierk. A Sudanic Chronicle: The Borno Expeditions of Idrīs Alauma (1564-1576) — Dierk Lange (1987)