Songhai Empire (ca. 1375-1591)

Songhai Empire (ca. 1375-1591)

The Songhai Empire was the largest and last of the three major pre-colonial empires to emerge in West Africa.  From its capital at Gao on the Niger River, Songhai expanded in all directions until it stretched from the Atlantic Ocean (modern Senegal and Gambia) to what...
Timbuktu (ca. 1100- )

Timbuktu (ca. 1100- )

Located at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert and six miles north of the Niger River in the present-day nation of Mali, Timbuktu has been a centuries-old, significant city in West Africa.  In the 14th Century it became the commercial, religious and cultural center...