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The Songhai people (autonym: Ayneha) are an ethnolinguistic group in West Africa who speak the various Songhai languages. Their history and lingua franca is linked to the Songhai Empire which dominated the western Sahel in the 15th and 16th century. Predominantly adherents of Islam, the Songhai are primarily located in Niger and Mali.
Songhai Empire. The Songhai Empire was a state located in the western part of the Sahel during the 15th and 16th centuries. At its peak, it was one of the largest African empires in history. The state is known by its historiographical name, derived from its largest ethnic group and ruling elite, the Songhai people.
The language, society and culture of the Songhai people is barely distinguishable from the Zarma people. [14] Some scholars consider the Zarma people to be a part of and the largest ethnic sub-group of the Ayneha. [15] Some study the group together as Zarma-Songhai people. [16] [17] However, both groups see themselves as two different peoples. [14]
The Songhai proper ( Songhay, Sangwai or Sonrai) are an ethnic group in the northwestern corner of Niger's Tillaberi Region, an area historically known in the country as Songhai. [3] They are a subgroup of the broader Songhai group. Even though the Songhais have so much in common with the Zarma, to the extent that some Songhais may refer to ...
Aside from the Songhai proper, some speakers in Mali have also adopted the name Songhay as an ethnic designation, [9] while other Songhay-speaking groups identify themselves with other ethnic terms, such as Zarma (Djerma) or Isawaghen (Sawaq). A few precolonial poems and letters composed in Songhay and written in the Arabic script exist in ...
Askia Muhammad Ture I (1443–1538), born Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Turi[a] or Muhammad Ture, was the first ruler of the Askia dynasty of the Songhai Empire, reigning from 1493 to 1528. He is also known as Askia the Great, and his name in modern Songhai is Mamar Kassey. Askia Muhammad strengthened his empire and made it the largest empire in ...
The Sohance are known to be the priestly class and guardians of ancient Songhai culture. They are mainly concentrated in the western part of what is now Niger, where they settled after their ruling dynasty was ousted from power by Askia Muhammed. The area that they settled is still known as the Songhai country.
Sonni dynasty. The Sonni dynasty, Sunni dynasty or Si dynasty was a dynasty of rulers of the Songhai Empire of medieval West Africa. The origins of the dynasty lies in it's predecessor Za Dynasty. The last ruler, Sonni Baru, ruled until 1493 when the throne was usurped by the Askiya Muhammad I, the founder of the Askiya dynasty .