The Tinbuktu Scholar Who Wrote a History of Songhai

Timbuktu: Africa's Forgotten Center of Knowledge — Fexingo History · May 25, 2026 · 5m · transcript

In this episode, Lucas and Luna focus on Mahmud Kati, the 16th-century scholar who compiled the Tarikh al-Fattash, one of the most vital chronicles of the Songhai Empire. Lucas explains how Kati, born in 1468, served as a qadi and secretary under the Askia dynasty, gathering manuscripts and oral traditions for decades. They discuss the controversy around Kati's authorship—some scholars argue the text was later expanded by his grandson—and the unique perspective Kati brought as an insider in the Songhai court. Lucas describes how the Tarikh al-Fattash details the reigns of Askia Muhammad…