Latest / Timbuktu: Africa's Forgotten Center of Knowledge — Fexingo History
The Moroccan Invasion of Timbuktu
In 1591, an army of 4,000 Moroccan mercenaries armed with arquebuses crossed the Sahara to conquer the Songhai Empire. This episode tells the story of that invasion—the Battle of Tondibi, the capture of Gao and Timbuktu, and the collapse of Songhai's golden age. We follow the Moroccan commander Judar Pasha, a Spanish eunuch who led the expedition for Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur, and explore how gunpowder technology overwhelmed Songhai's cavalry. We also examine the aftermath: the occupation's failure to find gold, Timbuktu's decline as a scholarly hub, and the rise of local…
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