Talansan was the location of a battle in
Futa Jallon
Fouta Djallon ( ff, 𞤊𞤵𞥅𞤼𞤢 𞤔𞤢𞤤𞤮𞥅, Fuuta Jaloo; ar, فوتا جالون) is a highland region in the center of Guinea, roughly corresponding with Middle Guinea, in West Africa.
Etymology
The Fulani people call th ...
, in what is now
Guinea, in which Muslim forces were victorious. The battle was a key event in the ''
jihad'' in which the
Imamate of Futa Jallon
The Imamate of Futa Jallon or Jalon ( ar, إمامة فوتة جالون; fuf, Fuuta Jaloo or ' ) was a West African theocratic state based in the Fouta Djallon highlands of modern Guinea. The state was founded around 1727 by a Fulani jihad ...
was created.
The ''
marabout
A marabout ( ar, مُرابِط, murābiṭ, lit=one who is attached/garrisoned) is a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the function of a chaplain serving as a part of an Islamic army, notably in North Africa and the Sah ...
'' party was opposed by the established leaders of the region, who were resisting conversion to
Islam. The battle of Talansan was a decisive victory for the ''marabouts''.
Talansan was a location to the east of
Timbo on the banks of the
Bafing River.
According to tradition, a force of 99 Muslims defeated an infidel force ten times greater, killing many of their opponents.
However, the struggle to convert the population continued to meet resistance, particularly from nomadic
Fulbe
The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region ...
herders. They rightly feared that the ''marabouts'' would use the religion to assert control over their lives.
Most sources date the battle to around 1727 AD (1140 AH), at the start of the ''jihad''.
Others say the battle occurred in 1747 or 1748, after many years of fighting for which the records have been lost.
A passage of traditional Fula history published by a missionary society in 1876 supports the earlier date, saying the battle occurred at the start of the jihad, and that Alfa of Timbo (
Karamokho Alfa
Karamokho Alfa (born Ibrahima Musa Sambeghu and sometimes called Alfa Ibrahim; died c. 1751) was a Fula religious leader who led a jihad that created the Imamate of Futa Jallon in what is now Guinea. This was one of the first of the Fulbe jih ...
) was made king after the victory and ruled for eighteen years.
References
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{{refend
History of Guinea
Fula history