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Moroccan Conquest of the Songhai Empire
In 1590–1591, Moroccan Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur sent Pasha Judar with about four thousand firearm troops across the Sahara to conquer the Songhai Empir…
Timeline
- 1590Marrakesh · MoroccoAhmad al-Mansur cited Songhai's raising of salt prices, monopolization of the Timbuktu gold trade, and border conflicts as grounds for appointing Pasha Judar to command the expedition. The army departed Morocco, crossed the Sahara via Taghaza salt mines and other points, and after several months reached the upper Niger River region.
- 1591Tondibi · MaliMoroccan firearm troops engaged the Songhai army led by Askia Ishak II at Tondibi. Songhai cavalry and infantry broke before muskets and artillery, the empire's military system collapsed, and the road was opened for the subsequent capture of Gao and Timbuktu.
- 1591Timbuktu · MaliMoroccan forces successively captured Gao, Timbuktu, and other core Songhai cities, plundering gold and scholarly libraries. The Songhai central government collapsed and regional strongmen carved up the territory; although Morocco held nominal rule, it could not effectively administer the distant West African lands, and the trans-Saharan trade routes gradually declined.
Sources
- Hunwick, John O. Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sa'di's Ta'rikh al-Sudan down to 1613 — John O. Hunwick (1999)
- Saadian Morocco and the Songhay conquest (综合研究)