A Fishing Community  that Became an Empire Songhay started as a fishing community. They traded fish for the goods they wanted and needed. At one time, they were part of Mali. Mali tried to get them to pay taxes, but they never would. Songhay was always stubbornly independent. Mali let them get away with it because they wanted the fish. As Mali weakened, Songhay started to take over. It was easy for them. They were strong Muslin kingdom. They were organized. They had a central government. They had a well-trained army. The people were not greedy. But they were proud. They were especially proud of Sonni Ali the Great!  Sonni Ali the Great: Sonni Ali (the new king) was a wonderful leader. He put warriors in canoes and started taking over city after city. He sent warriors to march on landlocked cities such as Timbuktu. They kept growing until they grew into the largest kingdom in all of West Africa. They grew so big that they controlled the gold mines to the south and the salt mines to the north. That made them very powerful indeed. At its height, Songhay stretched over 2,000 miles. Trade: Trade flourished and made the nobles rich. Songhay exported gold, salt, kola nuts and slaves. They imported textiles, horses, and luxury goods. Songhay was definitely a member of the slave trade. Children, women, and men would be sold into slavery without question or interest. Daily Life: Books were important. Any traders that brought books found them quickly purchased for vast amounts of gold. Doctors, judges, priests, and other educated men were maintained at the king's expense. These were important people.  The homes of the nobles and kings were magnificent. The homes of poor, however, were not. The leaders of Songhay did not spend time or money on the homes of workers. Privileged craftsmen were the exception. They lived quite well. Everyone else farmed the land and worked in the mines. Their life was not full of luxury. Religion: The people of Songhay followed the African religions of witchdoctors, and spirits, and magic. They believed in many gods. But the leaders of Songhay were Muslim. Their religion was Islam.   Quick Look Time Period: The Empire of Songhay had its heyday from the 1400's through the late 1500's. At its height, the Empire of Songhay was 2,000 miles long!   Major Export: Gold, Salt, Slaves Most Sought After Import: Books Natural resource: Fish, Niger River, Gold Mines, Salt Mines Industries: Farming, mining, trading, defense (army) Agricultural crops: Beans, rice, onions, sorghum, millet, papaya, gourds, cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, cotton, and peanuts. Economic specialization: Fishermen, traders, miners, farmers, blacksmiths, soldiers, witchdoctors Famous People: Sonni Ali the Great People: The common people worked all the time. Their life was very hard.  Their homes were humble. Miners lived in near slavery. The nobles lived lives of luxury.  Music, art, and the tales of the griots were still important, but the common people had little time for leisure.  Religions:  Nobles - Muslims Common People - Many gods and goddesses Clothing: Colorful, cotton Map of Ancient Songhay: Exploring Africa   Free Africa Presentations in PowerPoint format   To learn more about Africa, click on Anansi