The Songhai Empire

The Songhai Empire was a West African state centered on the Niger River during the 15th and 16th centuries, at its peak one of the largest African empires in history. Sonni Ali established Gao as the empire's capital and, ruling as the Sonni dynasty, expanded Songhai power to surpass the neighboring Mali Empire in area, wealth and influence, absorbing much of Mali's former territory. Sonni Ali's successor was overthrown by the general Muhammad Ture, known as Askia the Great, who founded the Askia dynasty and instituted political and economic reforms; important cities under Songhai rule included Timbuktu and Djenne, both centers of trade and Islamic scholarship. Plots and civil wars among Askia's successors weakened the empire, and in 1591 a Moroccan army under Judar Pasha, sent by the Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur, defeated Songhai forces at the Battle of Tondibi, collapsing the empire.