Takrur, Tekrur or Tekrour ( 800 – c. 1285) was an ancient state of
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...
, which flourished roughly parallel to the
Ghana Empire
The Ghana Empire, also known as Wagadou ( ar, غانا) or Awkar, was a West African empire based in the modern-day southeast of Mauritania and western Mali that existed from c. 300 until 1100. The Empire was founded by the Soninke people, ...
.
Origin
Takrur was the capital of the state which flourished on the lower
Senegal River
,french: Fleuve Sénégal)
, name_etymology =
, image = Senegal River Saint Louis.jpg
, image_size =
, image_caption = Fishermen on the bank of the Senegal River estuary at the outskirts of Saint-Louis, Senegal ...
. Takruri was a term, like Bilad-ul-Sudan, that was used to refer to all people of West African ancestry, and is still in use as such in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, with some corruption, as in ''Takruni'', pl. ''Takarna'' تكروني in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, and in Ethiopia and Eritrea, in the form
Tukrir In Ethiopia and Eritrea, the terms Tukrīr (Amharic) and Tukrir ( Tigrinya) are used to designate persons of West or Central African origin. The terms derives from the city and kingdom of Takrūr that thrived on the lower Senegal River in the eleve ...
. The district of ''Bulaq Al-Dakrur'' بولاق الدكرور in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
is named after an
ascetic
Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...
from West Africa.
The formation of the state may have taken place as an influx of
Fulani
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. ...
from the east settled in the Senegal valley.
John Donnelly Fage
John Donnelly Fage (3 June 1921–6 August 2002) was a British historian who was among the earliest academic historians specialising in African history, especially of the pre-colonial period, in the United Kingdom and West Africa. He publ ...
suggests that Takrur was formed through the interaction of
Berbers
, image = File:Berber_flag.svg
, caption = The Berber ethnic flag
, population = 36 million
, region1 = Morocco
, pop1 = 14 million to 18 million
, region2 = Algeria
, pop2 ...
from the
Sahara
, photo = Sahara real color.jpg
, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
, map =
, map_image =
, location =
, country =
, country1 =
, ...
and "Negro agricultural peoples" who were "essentially
Serer".
Centre of trade
Located in the Senegal valley, along the border of present-day
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
and
Mauritania
Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...
, it was a trading centre, where
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
from the
Bambuk
Bambouk (sometimes Bambuk or Bambuhu) is a traditional name for the territory in eastern Senegal and western Mali, encompassing the Bambouk Mountains on its eastern edge, the valley of the Faleme River and the hilly country to the east of the rive ...
region,
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
from the
Awlil, and
Sahel
The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...
grain were exchanged. It was rival of the
Ghana Empire
The Ghana Empire, also known as Wagadou ( ar, غانا) or Awkar, was a West African empire based in the modern-day southeast of Mauritania and western Mali that existed from c. 300 until 1100. The Empire was founded by the Soninke people, ...
, and the two states clashed from occasionally with the
Soninké, usually winning. Despite these clashes, Takrur prospered throughout the 9th and 10th centuries.
According to Levtzion, "It is significant that the cotton tree and the manufacture of cloth were first reported from Takrur."
[
]
Adoption of Islam
The kings of Takrur eventually adopted Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
. Sometime in the 1030s during the reign of king War Jabi
War-Dyabe ibn Rabis ( ar, وار ذياب بن ربيس) or War Jabi ( ar, وار جابي), also known as: War Jaabi or War-Dyabe or War-Ndyay, was the first Muslim king of Tekrur in the 1030s. He converted to Islam and forced his subjects to con ...
, the court converted to Islam, the first regent to officially pronounce orthodoxy in the Sahel
The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...
, establishing the faith in the region for centuries to come. In 1035 War Jabi
War-Dyabe ibn Rabis ( ar, وار ذياب بن ربيس) or War Jabi ( ar, وار جابي), also known as: War Jaabi or War-Dyabe or War-Ndyay, was the first Muslim king of Tekrur in the 1030s. He converted to Islam and forced his subjects to con ...
introduced Sharia law
Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the Five Pillars of Islam, religious precepts of Islam and is based on the Islamic holy books, sacred scriptures o ...
in the kingdom. This adoption of Islam greatly benefited the state economically and created greater political ties that would also affect them in the coming conflicts between the traditionalist state of Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
and its northern neighbours.
Ghana Empire
The Fulani
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. ...
of Takrur became independent after Ghanaian power faded. Takrur in turn set out to conquer the Kingdom of Diara, which was a Ghanaian province before. Then in 1203, Takrur leader Sumanguru took control of Kumbi Saleh
Koumbi Saleh, sometimes Kumbi Saleh is the site of a ruined medieval town in south east Mauritania that may have been the capital of the Ghana Empire.
From the ninth century, Arab authors mention the Ghana Empire in connection with the trans-Sah ...
, the capital of Ghana. Thus, Takrur became the sole power in the region.
Downfall
Among these were the Susu who carved out the sizeable, though short-lived, Kaniaga commune. Waalo
Walo ( wo, Waalo) was a kingdom on the lower Senegal River in West Africa, in what are now Senegal and Mauritania. It included parts of the valley proper and areas north and south, extending to the Atlantic Ocean. To the north were Moorish emira ...
, the first Wolof
Wolof or Wollof may refer to:
* Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania
* The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...
state, emerged out of its south. By the time the Mandinka tribes united to form the Mali Empire
The Mali Empire ( Manding: ''Mandé''Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century'', p. 57. University of California Press, 1997. or Manden; ar, مالي, Māl ...
in 1235, Takrur was in a steep decline. The state was finally conquered by the usurper emperor Sabakoura of Mali in the 1280s.
Takrur was later conquered by Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...
; it was also conquered by Jolof in the 15th century. However, ''Koli'' (a Fula rebel) did finally manage to regain Takrur, and named it Fouta Toro
Futa Toro ( Wolof and ff, Fuuta Tooro ''𞤆𞤵𞥄𞤼𞤢 𞤚𞤮𞥄𞤪𞤮''; ar, فوتا تورو), often simply the Futa, is a semidesert region around the middle run of the Senegal River. This region is along the border of Senegal and ...
in the 15th century, thereby setting up the first Fula dynasty ( Denanke). This dynasty also did not last and in 1776 during the Fouta Revolution, led by Muslim clerics, the kingdom was entered and the house of Denanke was brought down.[Ogot, Bethwell A. ''General history of Africa: Africa from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century.'' University of California Press, 1999, , p 14]
/ref>
Takrur as a toponym
After the fall of Takrur its name was employed by Arab historians as a synonym for "West Africa". In the Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
west Africans are still referred to as ''Tukrir In Ethiopia and Eritrea, the terms Tukrīr (Amharic) and Tukrir ( Tigrinya) are used to designate persons of West or Central African origin. The terms derives from the city and kingdom of Takrūr that thrived on the lower Senegal River in the eleve ...
'' to this day.
See also
*Serer people
The Serer people are a West African ethnoreligious group.
*Fula people
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. ...
*Toucouleur people
__NOTOC__
The Tukulor people ( ar, توكولور), also called Toucouleur or Haalpulaar, are a West African ethnic group native to Futa Tooro region of Senegal. There are smaller communities in Mali and Mauritania. The Toucouleur were Islamized ...
Notes
Sources
*J. F. Ade Ajayi, Michael Crowder
Michael Crowder (9 June 1934 – 14 August 1988) was a British historian and author notable for his books on the history of Africa and particularly on the history of West Africa.
Early life and education
Michael was born in London and educat ...
(eds.). ''History of West Africa''. Columbia University (1972)
* J. Hunwick
"Takrur"
''Encyclopaedia of Islam'', Leiden 2000, X, 142–3.
*Mary Antin, Nehemia Levtzion. ''Medieval West Africa Before 1400: Ghana, Takrur, Gao (Songhay) and Mali''. Translated by Nehemia Levtzion. J. F. Hopkins: Contributor. Markus Wiener Publishing, New Jersey (1998).
*J. D. Fage (ed.). ''The Cambridge History of Africa'', vol. II, Cambridge University Press (1978), 675–7.
* H. T. Norris. "The Wind of Change in the Western Sahara". ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 130, No. 1 (Mar., 1964), pp. 1–14
*D.W. Phillipson. ''African Archaeology'', Cambridge University Press (Revised Edition 2005).
*Leyti, Oumar Ndiaye. ''Le Djoloff et ses Bourba.'' Nouvelles Editions Africaines, 1981.
*Ogot, Bethwell A. ''General history of Africa: Africa from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century.'' University of California Press, 1999, , p 146.
*Oliver, Roland. ''The Cambridge history of Africa: From c. 1600 to c. 1790.'' Cambridge University Press, 1982. , p484
*
Further reading
*
External links
African Kingdoms
{{Sahelian kingdoms
13th-century disestablishments in Africa
History of Senegal
History of Mali
Countries in medieval Africa
History of Mauritania
Medieval Islamic world
States and territories established in the 9th century
Serer history