Moroccan invasion of Songhay and Historical relations between Africans across the Sahara

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• published: 20 Jul 2009
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Note Moroccans are Africans see a map *Edit: It should be emphasized that this victory was a surprise and kind of a fluke*. bellow is from "Trans-Saharan Trade and the West African Discovery of the Mediterranean" http://www.smi.uib.no/paj/Masonen.html "the Moroccan invasion in Timbuktu in 1591 is rather an exception which reinforces the general rule: the ruler of Songhay empire considered it unnecessary to poison the wells in the desert or to organize any effective counter-attack, because he was convinced that the Moroccans would perish in the desert anyway" *The rest of the bellow are in order shown in the video* "The Negroland of the Arabs examined and explained" By William Desborough Cooley page 64 http://books.google.com/books?id=380NAAAAQAAJ&pg;=PA64 "Mansa Musa, on his return, conceived the idea of building himself a fine palace. Abu Ishak showed him a model, and erected the edifice, with plaster and all kinds of ornaments, for which he received 12,000 mithkals of gold. Mansa Musa maintained an intimate and friendly correspondence with Sultan Abu-l-Hasan, of Al-Maghreb, and reigned twenty-five years." "Views from Arab scholars and Merchants" by Jay Spaulding and Nehemia Levtzion page 95 http://www.amazon.com/Medieval-West-Africa-Scholars-Merchants/dp/155876304X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s;=books&qid;=1241409685&sr;=8-1 "He wished to acquire a house as the seat of his authority, solidly constructed and clothed in plaster on account of its unfamiliarity in their land, so Abu Ishaq al-Tuwayjin made something novel for him by erecting a square building with a dome. He had a good knowledge of handicrafts and lavished all his skill on it. He plastered it over and covered it with colored patters so that it turned out to be the most elegant of buildings. It caused the sultan great astonishment because of the ignorance of the art of building in their land and he rewarded Abu Ishaq for it with 12,000 mithqals of gold dust apart from the preference, favor, and splinted gifts which he enjoyed." "Trans-Saharan Trade and the West African Discovery of the Mediterranean World" by Pekka Masonen http://www.smi.uib.no/paj/Masonen.html "This made the uninterrupted continuity of trade more important for North African rulers than their West African counterparts. The demand for salt, for which the Arabs bartered the gold in Western Africa, is usually overemphasized in the historiography. Contrariwise, the Saharan rock salt was an expensive luxury product and available to the wealthy people only. Furthermore, it could be quite easily substituted by locally produced salt from plants and soil, whereas the North African rulers could not obtain gold for their coins elsewhere." "Timbuctoo the mysterious" By Félix Dubois http://books.google.com/books?id=OYELAAAAIAAJ&pg;=PA122 "countries of the Niger, whose magnificence had become a proverb. ' As tar cures the gall of a camel, so poverty finds its unfailing remedy in the Sudan,' was the saying of northern Africa... (talking about salt) It was the true gold of the Sudanese, their most precious commodity, and they obtained it from the mines of Thegazza, which were situated in the heart of the desert. These mines were nearer to Morocco than to the countries of the Niger, but Thegazza, as we have seen, was the property of the Songhois, and possessed its representative Emir. Hostilities commenced towards the middle of the sixteenth century. In 1545 Mouley Mohammed El Kehir, the sultan of Morocco, sent an embassy to the king of the Songhois, claiming the mines of Thegazza, under the pretext that they were situated on Ins frontiers. Askia Ishak i. admitted neither the pretext nor the argument, and emphasised his denial of the claim by an army of Touaregs whom he despatched to pillage Draa, a town on the frontiers of Morocco, a plain intimation that he was strong enough to defend his own, and was quite prepared to do so should the sultan be inclined to dispute his rights." "African Glory" By John page 113 http://books.google.com/books?id=LY5Lmc-To7cC&pg;=PA113 "On June 23, 1590, we find the Sultan El Mansur of Morocco writing to Queen Elizabeth of England regretting his inability to deal promptly with certain communications received from the English Queen since he was very busy putting the finishing touches to his West African campaign. Europeans who were relieved at the idea of Morocco diverting her military might from Europe and trying it against West Africa enlisted freely in the Moroccan army. There was, of course, a bait-the possibility of getting some gold. Of the first contingent of 4,000 men of the fighting line, only 1,500 were Moroccans: the rest were Europeans. The cannon-balls and other munitions had largely been supplied by Queen Elizabeth of England. So ready were Europeans to enlist in the Moroccan army that Spanish became its official language. Even the command of the army went to a Spanish eunuch named Judar Pasha."