Latest / The Songhai Empire: Africa's Powerful Forgotten Kingdom — Fexingo History
The Songhai Emperors Who Made a Pilgrimage to Mecca
In this episode of Fexingo History, we explore the Songhai Empire's connection to the broader Islamic world through the lens of pilgrimage. While Mansa Musa's 1324 hajj is legendary, Songhai's Askia Muhammad made his own transformative journey to Mecca in 1496–98. We delve into why he went, what he brought, and who he met—including the Abbasid caliph in Cairo who officially recognized him as 'Caliph of the Sudan.' We also touch on earlier Songhai rulers like Sonni Ali, who embraced Islam pragmatically, and Askia Dawud's later patronage of scholarship. This…
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