Latest / The Songhai Empire: Africa's Powerful Forgotten Kingdom — Fexingo History
The Scholar Who Defied an Empire: Ahmed Baba's Resistance
In 1591, the Saadian army of Judar Pasha conquered Timbuktu, but one man refused to bow. Ahmed Baba, the city's greatest scholar, was arrested and marched 2,000 miles to Marrakech, where he spent years under house arrest. This episode follows the intellectual resistance of a man whose students included the jurist Al-Maghili and whose library held thousands of manuscripts. We explore the power of scholarship in Songhai, the Saadian occupation's assault on learning, and Ahmed Baba's eventual return to Timbuktu, where he rebuilt the city's scholarly tradition. We also discuss…
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