Latest / The Songhai Empire: Africa's Powerful Forgotten Kingdom — Fexingo History
The Songhai Empire's Secret Currency and Economic Power
While historians often focus on the military conquests of Sonni Ali Ber or the administrative reforms of Askia Muhammad, the true backbone of the Songhai Empire was its complex economic infrastructure. In this episode, we explore how the empire managed wealth through a multi-currency system that included gold dust, copper bars known as 'kolan', and massive quantities of salt blocks imported from the Sahara. We examine the role of the Wangara merchants in facilitating trade across the Sahel and how the Niger River served not just as a transportation route, but as a financial highway…
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