Latest / The Songhai Empire: Africa's Powerful Forgotten Kingdom — Fexingo History
Djenne: Songhai's City of Mud and Learning
Djenne, the ancient trading hub on the Niger River, was a cornerstone of the Songhai Empire long before its famous mud mosque became a UNESCO site. This episode explores Djenne's founding by the Soninke people, its role as a linchpin in the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade, and its capture by Sonni Ali after a legendary siege in 1473. We delve into the city's unique architecture—the Great Mosque, rebuilt over centuries—and its vibrant intellectual life, where scholars like Mahmud Kati compiled the Tarikh al-Fattash. Learn how Djenne flourished under Askia Muhammad's reforms…
The skinny
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