History Of Sunni Ali
Songhay was the last of the three great powers that ruled Western Sudan. The Sunni dynasty laid the foundation. Songhay grew into an empire under Sunni Ali (r. 1464–1492), completely passing Mali, which was in decline by the early 1500s.
Land fights took up a lot of Sunni’s time in power. The Sonni family had built up a strong army of horsemen and war canoes. Suleyman Dandi used these to take Songhay land upstream along the Niger bend. As soon as Sunni Ali took the throne, he turned his attention north and marched on Timbuktu, which the Tuareg had taken from Mali in its last days.
Sunni Ali won many of the wars he fought. He was in charge of the city starting in 1468. When the Tuaregs and Sunni Ali took over the city, some of the most powerful families in the city didn’t do much to protect themselves. They likely viewed the Tuareg as a good Muslim partner who could help them fight the Songhay. After he took over Timbuktu, Sunni Ali was mean to the qadis and ‘ulama.
During Sunni Ali’s time, there was definitely less scholarship in Timbuktu. Muslim writers and preachers were very angry with Ali for this because they saw it as disrespecting Islam. Next, in the late 1480s, Sunni Ali’s troops moved into the troubled Mossi area and pushed the Mossi to the south of the Niger. He tried to defeat the Mossi, but he failed. He then crossed the Niger and took over the Hausa state of Kebbi.
When they went to war, Sunni Ali’s army always won. He was an impressive military leader who grew the Songhay kingdom all the way into the desert in the north and as far as Jenne in the southwest. He forced the Mossi to retreat south of the Niger in the late 1480s, yet their defeat remained elusive. Sunni Ali came up with a new way to run the government.
He divided the lands he had taken over into provinces, putting the former rulers in charge of some and his armed officials in charge of others. He appointed a special governor called the tondifari, which translates to “governor of the mountains,” to manage the difficult Mossi region. He also appointed a hi-koy, or chief military officer, for his fleet.
Arabic scholars have harsh words for Sunni Ali because he attacked Timbuktu’s Muslim educational and religious center and was rude to the clerics. He also went after the Tuareg people. In contrast to Askia Muhammed, they painted him as a cruel ruler and oppressor.
Scholars and ‘ulama in Islam have said many bad things about Sunni Ali, but the Songhay people remember him as a great conquering hero who started the Songhay Empire. Muhammad Ture, a devout Muslim of Soninke descent and one of his generals, swiftly removed his heir from power. He died in 1492. He then changed his name to Askiya and became known as Askiya the Great.
Also Read: The Incredible History of the Askiya Dynasty
