Latest / The Songhai Empire: Africa's Powerful Forgotten Kingdom — Fexingo History
Songhai's Copper Cross: The Salt-Slave-Currency That Ruled the Sahel
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Songhai's economic backbone: the copper and salt trade that made the empire a Sahelian powerhouse. They dive into the role of the Taghaza salt mines—where slabs of salt were traded ounce-for-ounce with gold—and the copper crosses from Takedda that served as currency across West Africa. Lucas explains how Askia Muhammad regulated these trades, the brutal conditions at Taghaza described by Leo Africanus, and how the Moroccan invasion of 1591 was partly driven by control of these resources. The conversation also covers the social impact of the…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.