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Kukiya, Mali
Kukiya is an archaeological site and ancient city on the banks of the Niger River in present-day Mali. It was an early capital of the Songhai people, preceding the founding of the city of Gao. It is located on an island in the Niger River near the village of Bentia in the Ouattagouna commune. The site has yet to be fully excavated, but the earliest occupation has been tentatively dated to the 2nd millennium BCE. The island dominates a stretch of river between two rapids, making it an important stopping point on Trans-Saharan trade routes linking Borgu, Hausaland, and other Sub-Saharan regions with North Africa. Kukiya was for generations the seat of the Sunni dynasty before they captured Gao in the mid 15th century. Tarikh al-Sudan, a chronicle about the history of the Songhai Empire, describes Kukiya as "the center of paganism." Its Muslim settlement is evidenced by tombstones with Arabic inscriptions in the Bentia cemeteries, dated to the 13th–15th centuries. Similar tomb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gao Region
Gao ( Bambara: ߜߊߏ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Gao Dineja) is a region in northeastern Mali. The capital city is Gao. Geography The region is bordered to the north by Kidal Region, to the west by Tombouctou Region and Taoudénit Region, to the east by the Ménaka Region, and most of the south by Niger ( Tahoua Region and Tillabéri Region), sharing a portion of the southern border with Burkina Faso ( Sahel Region). Demographics Common ethnicities in the Gao Region include the Songhai, Bozo, Tuareg, Bambara, and Kounta. The towns include Gao, Bourem, and Bamba. The Gao Region is part of Mali, the northern part that was separated and declared independent by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) during the Tuareg rebellion of 2012. After the 1st Battle of Gao, the MNLA lost control to Islamist militias. Several other battles took place during the war, particularly in Gao. Administrative subdivisions For administrative purposes, the Gao Region is divided in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of the Western Sahara in the west, to Egypt and Sudan's Red Sea coast in the east. The most common definition for the region's boundaries includes Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, and Western Sahara, the territory territorial dispute, disputed between Morocco and the list of states with limited recognition, partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The United Nations’ definition includes all these countries as well as Sudan. The African Union defines the region similarly, only differing from the UN in excluding the Sudan and including Mauritania. The Sahel, south of the Sahara, Sahara Desert, can be considered as the southern boundary of North Africa. North Africa includes the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla, and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kissi, Burkina Faso
Kissi is a Burkinabe archaeological site located in the Oudalan Province of Burkina Faso, near the lake Mare de Kissi and near the borders of Mali, Niger, and the Niger River. Occupied during the Iron Age, Kissi provides evidence for Iron Age textiles, beads, and mortuary practices. The site also has unique ceramic and settlement sequences to it, with clusters of mounds located throughout the site. Radiocarbon dating dates the specific occupation of the site from 1000 BC to 1300 AD. Cemeteries The site's seven cemeteries cover approximately 400 hectares of land, and three have been partially excavated. Artifacts Several of the cemeteries contained burials, which not only were characterized by the placement of stone slabs near them, but also contained various grave goods. Some of the grave goods include beads, iron tools, copper alloys, textiles, bracelet A bracelet is an article of jewellery that is worn around the wrist. Bracelets may serve different uses, such as b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aoudaghost
Aoudaghost also transliterated as Awadaghust, Awdughast, Awdaghusht, Awdaghost, and Awdhaghurst () is a former Berber town in Hodh El Gharbi, Mauritania. It was an important oasis town at the southern end of a trans-Saharan caravan route that is mentioned in a number of early Arabic manuscripts. The archaeological ruins at Tegdaoust in southern Mauritania are thought to be the remains of the medieval town. History The earliest mention of Aoudaghost is by al-Yaqubi in his ''Kitab al-Buldan'' completed in 889-890 in which he described the town as being controlled by a tribe of the Sanhaja and situated 50 stages south of Sijilmasa across the Sahara Desert. "It is the residence of their king who has no religion or law. He raids the land of the Sudan who have many kingdoms." In 962, the city conquered Awgham with an army of 100,000 camel cavalry. Over 20 kings of the Sudan paid Awdaghost tribute. From Ibn Hawqal writing in around 977 we learn that the distance from Aoudaghost to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Djenné-Djenno
Djenné-Djenno (also Jenne-Jeno; ) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Niger River Valley in the country of Mali. Literally translated to "ancient Djenné", it is the original site of both Djenné and Mali and is considered to be among the oldest urbanized centers and the best-known archaeological sites in West Africa. This archaeological site is located about from the modern town, and is believed to have been involved in long distance trade and possibly the domestication of African rice. The site is believed to exceed in area; however this is yet to be confirmed with extensive survey work. With the help of archaeological excavations mainly by Roderick and Susan McIntosh, the site is known to have been occupied from 250 BC to 900 AD. Previously, scholars did not believe that advanced trade networks and complex societies developed in West Africa until traders started coming from the north. However, sites such as Djenné-Djenno disprove this, as these tradit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dia, Mali
Dia (''Jà'') is a small town and seat of the commune of Diaka in the Cercle of Ténenkou in the Mopti Region of southern-central Mali. It is situated at the western edge of the Inland Delta floodplain, and is watered by the Diaka, one of the Niger River's major distributaries and the only permanent watercourse in the region. Tigemaxo and also some Fulfulde are spoken in Dia. The three-settlement mound complex of Dia, located at the western edge of the Inland Niger Delta of Mali, is known for rich oral and written resources, and predates the much better-known cities of nearby Djenne and Timbuktu. According to Levtzion, the Diakhanke "remember Dia in Massina as the town of their ancestor, Suware, a great marabout, and a saint." This vast site thus offers the possibility of studying the beginning of urbanization in this part of Africa and the structure of an early West African city. Favorable climate and water supply have favored human settlement for centuries, and the history o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gao-Saney
Gao-Saney, also spelled Gao-Sane, is an archaeological site near Gao in Mali. It was almost certainly the town known in historical accounts as Sarneh. Gao-Saney is a large settlement mound seven km distant from the royal town of Gao, and is thought to be the site of the ancient trading center. The site has produced extensive archaeological evidence from its first millennium occupation, with proposed chronology between 700 and 1100 CE. In modern day, the Gao region is too dry to sustain year-round habitation without digging deep wells, leading to speculation about different climate conditions, perhaps with increased rainfall, at the time of Gao's first millennium occupation. Gao-Saney excavations demonstrate involvement of the site in glass and copper trade networks during the eighth to tenth centuries on a scale only exceeded by Igbo-Ukwu among known sub-Saharan sites. History Archaeological digs show that Gao-Saney was occupied by roughly 700CE, and was a center of manufacturing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sunni Dynasty
The Sonni dynasty, Sunni dynasty or Si dynasty was a dynasty of rulers of the Songhai Empire of medieval West Africa. The origins of the dynasty lies in its predecessor Za Dynasty. The last ruler, Sonni Baru, ruled until 1493 when the throne was usurped by the Askiya Muhammad I, the founder of the Askiya dynasty. Sources The seventeenth century chronicles, the ''Tarikh al-Sudan'' and the ''Tarikh al-fattash'' describe the history of the Songhay people and provide lists of their rulers. The ''Tarikh al-Sudan'' gives a list of the earlier rulers of the Za dynasty, whose founder Za Alayaman lived before the 10th century and the arrival of Islam. The two chronicles agree on the first and last rulers of the dynasty but differ on the number and order of the intervening rulers. Debate Over Origins The chronicles describe how Ali Kulun (or Ali Golom), the founder of the Sunni dynasty, revolted against the hegemony of the Mali Empire. Both associate him with the Mali court. The ''Tarikh a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hausaland
Hausa Kingdoms, also known as Hausa Kingdom or Hausaland, was a collection of states ruled by the Hausa people, before the Fulani jihads. It was situated between the Niger River and Lake Chad (modern day northern Nigeria). Hausaland lay between the Western Sudanic kingdoms of Ancient Ghana, Mali and Songhai and the Eastern Sudanic kingdoms of Kanem-Bornu. Hausaland took shape as a political and cultural region during the first millennium CE as a result of the westward expansion of Hausa peoples. They arrived in Hausaland when the terrain was converting from woodlands to savannah. They started cultivating grains, which led to a denser peasant population. They had a common language, laws and customs. The Hausa were known for fishing, hunting, agriculture, salt-mining, and blacksmithing. By the 14th century, Katsina had become the most powerful city-state. Katsina was the base for the trans-Saharan trade in salt, cloth, leather, and grain. The Hausa oral history is reflected in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mali
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east by Niger, to the northwest by Mauritania, to the south by Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, and to the west by Guinea and Senegal. The population of Mali is about 23.29 million, 47.19% of which are estimated to be under the age of 15 in 2024. Its Capital city, capital and largest city is Bamako. The country has 13 official languages, of which Bambara language, Bambara is the most commonly spoken. The sovereign state's northern borders reach deep into the middle of the Sahara, Sahara Desert. The country's southern part, where the majority of inhabitants live, is in the Sudanian savanna and has the Niger River, Niger and Senegal River, Senegal rivers running through it. The country's economy centres on agriculture and mining with its most promine ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Borgu
Borgu is a region and former country split between north-west Nigeria and the northern Republic of Benin. It was partitioned between British Empire, Great Britain and France by the Anglo-French Convention of 1898. People of Borgu are known as Bariba people, Bariba or Borgawa. History Founding According to the Kisra legend known all over Borgu, the petty kingdoms of the country were founded by Kisra, a hero who according to an oral tradition immigrated from Birnin Kisra ("the town of Kisra") in Arabia, but also claiming descent from Kanem-Bornu. Before his arrival, Borgu was politically unorganized. Local societies were organized by lineage, and villages rarely fought against one another. Kisra's sons are said to have been the founders of the main kingdoms of Borgu: Bussa, Nigeria, Bussa, Illo, and Nikki, Benin, Nikki. While the historicity of the Kisra legend is unclear, it likely commemorates an invasion and occupation of Borgu by horse-mounted warriors in the 15th century. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
